


Saving Roxas (Rebuild)

by DivineSoul



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: AdultAU, Axel deserves nice things, Axel's adoptive parents are wonderful, Axel's birth parents are trash, Axel's related to a mafia/gang boss, Child!Xion, Hayner is surprisingly salty, Hayner is the salt of the earth, Hurt/Comfort, Kairi is the sassiest, Multi, Original Character(s), Possible Character Death, Roxas is so bitter, Slow Burn, Xion is the smartest child
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-13
Updated: 2016-10-09
Packaged: 2018-08-08 14:10:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 20,374
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7760923
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DivineSoul/pseuds/DivineSoul
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Somehow, I just want to see him again."<br/>~X~<br/>After a decade apart, Axel finally gets the chance to rekindle the love he lost. But everything's changed, leaving Axel to wonder if he even stood a chance. Was anything there to begin with? Yet, with the threat of new troubles on the horizon, all Axel can think about is making it up to Roxas. Even if Roxas wants absolutely nothing to do with him.<br/>~X~<br/>Originally part of an old series of mine, but I'm rewriting it after a few years away from fanfiction in general. Can stand alone with the way I'm tackling it now, but I've provide a summary of the original work inside for people who have a burning curiosity. Tags to be added as I go.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So I'm publishing this story here and on my old fanfiction account of the same pen name. As I said, this story summary, this story is a rewrite of something I wrote back in 2011 and then abandoned sometime after the turn of 2013. Yet, the way I'm writing it now, I'm pretty confident that it can stand on its own. If not, I have a very concise, but detailed summary of its predecessor:
> 
> Troubled Roxas Strife was sent to live with his cousin, Sora, when he was just a kid. He grew up in Twilight Town and lived a relatively normal life until his sophomore year of high school. By chance, he meets the local bad boy—Axel Lea—and after much trial and tribulation, become both good friends and eventual lovers. However, trouble arises when Axel’s estranged father, Alec—a gang boss with control over most of the criminal underworld—kidnaps Axel, Roxas, and their close friends. Barely managing to escape with their lives, they healed in time for Roxas to be recalled by his parents to his home in Radiant Garden. Axel sees Roxas off at the train station, promising to find him again one day soon… 
> 
> So there you have it. Other than that, I hope you enjoy the first chapter!

Chapter 1: A Decade Gone

“Mr. Lea?" 

Uncrossing his legs, Axel leaned forward to give his interviewer his undivided attention. Settling his black Oxfords on the shiny linoleum, he ran his palms along the creases of his black dress pants. His fingers found his grey tie, straightening the fabric unconsciously before resettling against the leather chair’s armrests.  


He didn’t care for the casual atmosphere of this interview. He didn’t much care for the man’s nonchalance either, pointing out aspects of his résumé and making small talk over the most trivial things. It was his fourth interview this month and by far the most demeaning. His cheeks hurt from how long he’d had to force a smile, and he felt the strain was starting to show.  


Not that he was a stranger to forcing emotions. It was something at which he’d always excelled.  


_I could even give names of those who’d agree, _he touted sarcastically, mentally applauding his own twisted talents, but keeping his expression neutral.__  


“Mr. Lea,” the interviewer began again, seeming to have collected his thoughts. “What three words would you use to describe yourself?”  


_Easy. ___  


Axel smiled at the simplicity of the inquiry. “Hardworking, bold, and a team-player,” he proclaimed, lacing his fingers across his abdomen. It was child’s play to field such a predictable question! He’d wasted countless hours in his father’s office in preparation, preforming mock interview after mock interview. He spent even more just Googling “Most Common Interview Questions and Answers.” 

Whether he was truthful or not meant nothing. He just needed to get the job.  


The interviewer laughed, smiling happily and nodding in agreement. Axel smiled too, swearing that he’d remain expressionless for a week if he had to keep this up for a minute longer.  


“One last thing,” the interviewer began, holding up a hand to remove his thick-rimmed glasses. Setting them on his lap, he pushed back a few strands of greying hair that had escaped their gel prison. Axel could only assume he was going for “youthful,” and he was sad to report the man missed the mark by a mile.  


Not that he would tell a prospective future employer he looked foolish, though. He’d even complimented his silly Disney tie when he came in. He’d do anything to get this job.  


“Where do you see yourself in ten years?” the interviewer posed, resting a hand beneath his chin to give Axel his undivided attention.  


_With Roxas. ___  


“Working under your direction at Sunset Hill Psychiatric, helping as many people as I’m able,” Axel offered, hoping his words didn’t sound as hollow as they were.  


_What the hell was that? Where on earth did that come from? _he wondered, thanking his lucky stars for the bout of laughter he perceived over his tumultuous thoughts. _What about that question made me think of him? Better yet, why am I thinking about him so often these days? I haven’t seen him in years! _Not even hearing the interviewer’s words, Axel jumped to his feet at the first signs of the other rising from his seat.  
____

____They shook hands, the interviewer grasping Axel’s shoulder firmly with a suggestive wink. “I’m sure you’ll be hearing from us very soon, Mr. Lea.”  
____

____

“I look forward to it,” Axel replied with a smile (he hoped would be the last for a while), returning the shake with matching force. “Thank you for your time today, sir.”  


“No, thank you! Have a good night, now.” His interviewer led him to the door, seeing him off properly before running over to his secretary’s desk with his résumé in tow. The elevator didn’t take long to arrive, and Axel stepped on with the same confident swagger with which he’d disembarked earlier.  


Once the doors closed, however, he sagged against the wall. His head made a dull thunk as it struck the glittering surface, but he didn’t feel more than superficial pain. A massive sigh escaped his lips, and the anxiety of the interview melted like a layer of ice off his sweaty skin.  


He was exhausted.  


_Maybe I can get some ice cream? _he proposed to himself, standing upright when the elevator stopped to allow a mother and child pair on board. _Maybe take a nap before my babysitters head home for the night… _  
____

Axel caught sight of the child gaping at him in their reflection. Wide, blue eyes took in the lanky man to her right, dressed in a suit tailored to his unusual dimensions. A shock of bright red hair drew her attention almost instantly, his most obvious feature even after a tub of hair gel and a makeover from his mother.  


He must have looked as silly as he felt. No wonder she was staring.  


When her mother pulled out her phone, Axel stuck his tongue out and crossed his eyes, watching joy transform her expression with delighted laughter. He smiled in response, relaxing his facial features when her mother told her to be quiet.  


“It’s no bother,” Axel spoke up, grinning at the girl in the reflection. He pushed his nose back this time, cross-eyed again, before making a few others he knew to be favorites. The girl laughed non-stop, truly disappointed when the pair reached their floor. “Bye-bye now!” He waved, but he was surprised he could smile so easily for her.  


“Bye-bye!!” She waved back, and the elevator door closed with a muted ding. He stayed in the same pose for at least a floor, pulling his hand back and staring at the rough palm curiously.  


He liked kids, he supposed. They weren’t terrible, anyway, and he found them to be far easier to deal with than actual adults.  


Adults lied, cheated, and broke things beyond repair. Children existed in brilliant contrast: honest, sincere, and were more than willing to slap a bandage over their heart if it stopped the hurt. They were innocent in their intentions, less likely to use people, and more likely to put others before themselves. And even if they weren’t that pure, their true intentions were transparent. It was why Axel wanted to help them so badly.  


_Or else they’ll turn out like me. ___  


Neglected by his birth mother, and abused by his birth father, Axel had no desire to let another child bear that pain alone. It did things to a young mind…things that shouldn’t be harbored alone. It caused damage no one could see, and Axel couldn’t stand the idea of someone else bearing that same pain.  


That’s why an idiot like him went to college in the first place. If he became a child psychologist, he could do just that. Help other kids like himself.  


“Good night!” a receptionist called, waving at him politely as he crossed the floor of the lobby. He waved back, pushing back one of the double doors to reenter the busy afternoon.  


“Mommy, Mommy! Can we get ice cream?” a little boy squealed, nestled between his parents and passing right beside him to get inside.  


“If you do really well at your appointment today.”  


“Promise?”  


“Promise.”  


Axel held the door open for the trio, the father thanking him as the mother led her fidgeting child through the entrance. He let it shut behind them, gazing pointedly at his hand once more.  


**_“The measure of a doctor’s skill comes from how well he can relate to his patients. Nothing more, nothing less. If he can’t do that, he’s no doctor at all.”_ ** __

Axel wasn’t sure why, but he was reminded of a quote by his professor from freshman year. He remembered the queer way he dressed and the odd way he spoke. He could vividly recall how many coffees he’d drink in a single lecture, perpetually high on caffeine as he ran through disorders and trials at the same speed an auctioneer rattles off bid prices.  


__

_But I remember that line most clearly. _He walked down the street, hands in his pockets with his gaze to the ground. _Probably ‘cause it’s so true. _  
____

____Axel knew he wasn’t quite right. Hadn’t been for a long time. He caught some fleeting sense of normalcy when immersed in his profession, but it was only that. Fleeting. He’d been able to drown himself in work for the past decade, but there were no excuses anymore.  
____

____

_Maybe that’s why I keep thinking about him lately? _Axel wondered, craning his neck to watch the clouds while he waited to cross the crowded street. He’d been so busy between getting the degree, the internships, the certificate, and finally job hunting…he hadn’t the time to think about Roxas or what he’d been up to._  
_

“‘Promise,’” he parroted the mother from before, tasting the word and its bitter flavors. “Just another way adults can be cruel.”  
XxXxXxXxXxXxXxX 

Axel caught the last train to Twilight Town for the next hour. It was a lucky break, considering he was dead set on taking a nap at his apartment. The train was relatively empty, too, which was another bonus after a tiring day of people pleasing. He took the first seat he saw, watching as the stragglers boarded behind him.  


He spotted a few high school girls not too far from him, talking much too loudly to be polite. They were sharing earbuds and giggling to themselves while the conductor made the announcements for the passengers to take a seat. Once those girls did, Axel’s unintentional glaring caught sight of a familiar logo.  


It was a design he’d helped make, sitting at a booth in a pizzeria on a sticky, summer afternoon.  


“I heard his tour’s ending at home!” one of the girls gushed, another agreeing while a third began to narrate about how she’d been able to secure tickets for them all. The others cheered her good luck, prattling on about how they had to save up and buy the next album the band released.  


Axel just grinned, thinking about how he had access to any albums or concerts he wanted. _The perks of knowing the talent on a personal basis. _  
__

__Five years back, Demyx was signed by a record label. Playing at the local club with his good friends and loyal followers in attendance, the owner had contacted the agent with the intention of repaying an old debt. The agent fell for his music instantly, racing up to him after the show to introduce herself.  
__

__

Demyx nearly dropped his guitar, Axel recalled. Zexion was the one with the sense to do the research, forcing him to play “hard to get” before signing his current contract. In fact, his efforts even impressed the agent, and now she always consulted Zexion about contractual agreements and changes before bringing them up to the talent himself.  


Zexion always traveled with him as a result, even if he hated constantly moving. He justified it as “babysitting,” but they all knew he was just lonely. After Demyx’s initial two week tour, Zexion drove three hours just to meet him because he missed him. Not that the company minded terribly to pay for the extra head. Demyx’s productivity was much higher when Zexion was around.  


_I’m still surprised the media hasn’t caught wind of their relationship yet, _Axel pondered humorously, picturing the scandalous tabloid covers of Zexion and Demyx.  
__

__The girls’ conversation soon transitioned to school, and Axel lost interest. His exhaustion was catching up to him again, and he still had the train ride to get through. Running a hand through his hair, he let his finger catch around the back of his neck. He poked the skin gingerly, feeling his heart sink at the bareness.  
__

__

_I could never find it, _Axel remembered. Staring down at his chest as he contemplated the same observation he’d made over a hundred times before.  
__

__He’d lost his ring—chain and all—the day Roxas left. It was probably why he had such a hard time keeping his promise when the symbol had vanished. Axel looked all over Station Tower for the damn thing, and he never found it. For all he knew, it’d been stolen shortly after it broke free. Or maybe he’d lost it even earlier and noticed too late.  
__

__

Axel may never know, and that hurt more than losing it. He’d never had the time to think on it for more than an hour at a time. And even if he managed to do so, what could he possibly gain from moping about it now? He had more pressing issues to deal with.  


Like graduating on time. Like job hunting. Like keeping in touch with his family.  


Or raising his little girl.  


Axel’s phone buzzed inside the pocket of his suit jacket. The feeling sent a jolt of energy through his body, and he jumped to attention to pull it free. He typed in his passcode, blanching at the sudden bombardment of messages as his phone kept buzzing in his hand.  


“Ah…” He fumbled with the settings, turning it silent to allow the messages to flood without notification. They were all from the same number, too, and he couldn’t help but laugh. “Jeez, that kid…”  


_From: Xion __  
_

__Are you done?_  
_

_

_Did you finish?_  


_Did it go well?_  


_Are you on a train?_  


_It’s gonna rain tonight._  


_So don’t loiter around._  


_Aunt Larx called you lazy._  


_Uncle Marly’s making pizza._  


_I also got an A on my spelling test!_  


_You helped me study. :)_  


_Can we watch a movie tonight?_  


_I’m thinking action._  


_Call me!!!_  


A flood of emoticons, Xion’s new obsession thanks to Demyx’s meddling, accompanied the last message. Axel didn’t understand most of them, but he did see a few angry faces, and simply sent her a smiley face in response. A reply came shortly after he sent it.  


_See you soon!!! _  
__

__Axel smiled at the happy faces and heart. She always knew what to do to cheer him up, even without knowing he was upset. He tucked his phone away after that, hands resting in his lap. His eyes slipped closed with his head tipped back as he let the clamor of the train car lull him to sleep.  
XxXxXxXxXxX  
__

__

The train pulled in a little past six in the evening. Axel was unlocking his apartment door a half hour later, greeting his neighbor with a half-hearted wave. It was only so cautious because of the noise leaking through the battered wood, betraying the unspoken rule of the floor to keep quiet at all times.  


_I mean can they even get angry when I’m clearly not responsible? _Axel wondered, turning away from his disgruntled neighbor in favor of the door. He forced his key into the sticky lock, shaking it viciously before he heard the familiar tumbling.  
__

__The noise all but vanished, replaced with a high pitched squeal and tiny feet pounding along hardwood. Axel was just able to close the door before the attack landed, and he embraced it with all his power. He threw his suit jacket to the side, arms snatching the body and holding it close. His left hand carded through soft, black locks while his right clutched a handful of fabric.  
__

__

“I’m back, Xion!” he cheered weakly, the face pressed tightly to his stomach eventually peeled away long enough to expose rosy cheeks and a brilliant smile.  


“Welcome home, Papa!” Xion cheered back, throwing her arms into the air at the same time Axel crouched to the floor. She giggled in excitement, arms locked behind his neck as he scooped her up in one arm to continue through the narrow opening of the apartment. “Papa, hold me properly, or I’ll fa—” Axel pretended to drop her, Xion laughing loudly but clutching the back of his shirt.  


“But you’re so heavy~!” He poked her side with his free hand, tickling it lightly to bask in her happiness. He carried her carefully as he entered the kitchen, spying the source of the initial noise he’d heard outside.  


“Lookin’ spiffy, Ax!” Marluxia called, offering a two fingered salute from the sink. He was wearing Axel’s apron—but still covered in flour—with his pink hair pulled back in a half bun. “Your ma’s got a hell of an eye for fashion.”  


“She owns a boutique,” Axel snorted, still carrying Xion’s body as he shuffled into the narrow kitchen. “I’d assume she’d know her way around suits.” He deposited her at the table, ruffling her hair once while sniffing the air.  


“Since you were so late, Xion chose the toppings,” Marluxia explained, grinning at Axel’s disappointment. “Oh, she at least let me put peppers on it.”  


“Even if the taste lingers, I’m willing to compromise,” Xion huffed from the table, pulling her knees to her chest and watching Axel’s expression change to one of relief. “But did you get my message about a movie? I really wanna watch one!”  


“That depends on you, sweetheart.” He winked, sliding behind the table and down the back hall toward their bedrooms. “Did you finish all your homework?”  


Just as the last syllable left his lips, the bathroom door flew back on its hinges to reveal an annoyed Larxene. “Do you honestly think we wouldn’t check?”  


Axel felt part of his soul escape, body thrown against the nearest wall as he glared at the cause of his surprise. “What the hell are you doing?! Sneaking up on me like that—”  


“You’re bathtub was filthy, dumbass!” She cuffed him on the head, scowling back with twice as much heat while wielding a scrubbing brush like it was a dagger. “Do you think I like cleaning your messes? You lazy piece of sh—!”  


“Larxy~!” Marluxia sang from the kitchen, calling both attentions as he made a zipping motion over his lips, tilting his head toward Xion. She took a deep breath then, lowering the brush and throwing a hand through her hair.  


“Please clean your bathroom more frequently, you filthy animal,” she offered jovially, smile tight and painful as she pushed past him to make her way down the hall. Xion looked at her curiously, eyes following the hallway back to Axel’s frozen form. She shrugged, looking apologetic, but Axel waved her off.  


“A movie sounds nice!” Axel conceded, slipping into his room with every intention of ditching his monkey suit.  


He appreciated the effort Snow put into the decision. He was indebted to her diligence in picking the fabric, as well as her attention to his precise measurements and the overall appeal. Axel was impressed by how well the suit complimented him, but it didn’t make him like it any more. For some reason, he felt far more fake when clothed in the expensive suit than he did in his usual shirt and jeans.  


However, he was careful to keep the suit in good condition. He hopped over the mess on his floor, pulling his closet door open to begin his search for a free set of hangers. While he was elbow-deep in clothes he never wore but was too lazy to ditch, he caught sight of the pictures taped to the inside of the door.  


The first one he noticed was of his friends on graduation day. They’d stopped by the hospital in their caps and gowns just to greet the recently re-bedridden Demyx, and took a picture to commemorate their freedom.  


Surrounding that were other miscellaneous pictures he’d kept from the past. Many of which he took himself, as he was still a big fan of photography. Pictures of his friends in various poses at various locations were the bulk of it, featuring a few beach pictures and one from the zoo.  


Some of his favorites included Marluxia’s 21st birthday (in which Marluxia got wasted and began to sing crude covers of 80s power-ballads to an embarrassed Larxene). Another was after Demyx’s first concert (in which he stripped down to his underwear to perform his breakout hit for his friends to Zexion’s horror).  


Though he had more regular ones as well, like Xion’s first day of primary school. Dressed in her uniform skirt and coat with her hair all done up, he couldn’t resist the temptation.  


Right below it, however, was a picture much older. It featured Axel when he’d just started college, leaning against the arm of an attractive young woman four years his senior. She shared the same ocean blue eyes as her daughter, as well as the obsidian-colored hair pulled back in a bun.  


Her name was Sinon. An upperclassmen in his program, one of his very best friends, and Xion’s mother.  


“She got taller again,” Axel spoke aloud, looking at her smiling face in the old picture as he slapped the front of his suit. “She’s getting smarter, too.” He hung the suit on the rack, bending over to scour the bottom of the closet for something suitably clean to wear. “Annoyingly so,” he mumbled, almost totally to himself as he found something that didn’t smell particularly offending.  


“I heard that!” Xion’s voice rang out, Axel falling back on his ass as her laughter followed her back down the hall.  


“You sneaky—!” Axel cut himself off, looking at the stack of school papers and mail on the foot of his bed. “No doubt she’s hers.” He started to stand, laughing as he struggled to get the shirt over his head. When he slid his foot into position to rise fully, he pulled it back immediately at the sensation of paper.  


“What’s this…?” he mumbled, dropping the hem of the shirt and snatching the thin strip of paper off the floor. The bottom was rough from being torn, and the edges were frayed. From the shape of the paper as well as the stack of wallet-sized photos, he identified it as the product of a photo booth. Turning it over, though, revealed the biggest discovery.  


Axel huffed, a smile spreading on his lips as he held the pictures to his face. “So that’s where you got to.”  


It was the pictures he’d taken with Roxas so many years ago. He could recognize those blond spikes in an instant, so soft to the touch he’d spend hours just petting them. The color was fading and there were water droplet stains in a few spots, but Axel could easily make out the memories of that day.  


From Roxas’s puffed out cheeks and drawn eyebrows, to Axel’s wide smile and crinkled eyes, he remembered that day fondly. Roxas was initially annoyed at being pulled into the photo booth, but Axel wrapped his arms around his middle and selected the filters he wanted. He smiled so broadly in that first picture while Roxas pouted, but he was positively adorable. Then came the next picture, Axel pushing his index fingers into Roxas’s cheeks while making a silly expression. The next picture depicted Roxas smacking at his hands but starting to smile as he settled more comfortably in Axel’s embrace.  


The last picture was missing, torn from the strip and lost somewhere. Running his fingers along the tear where flecks of color still remained, Axel could recall the memory of that picture from the day it was taken. Staring at the screen that mirrored their position for them so see, he remembered the open-mouthed smile on Roxas face, eyes crinkled with his laughter while his warm hands covered Axel’s arms around his torso.  


_And I was kissing him, _Axel thought proudly. _He let me kiss him then. _He knew he’d been kissing his cheek in that picture. Safe from the prying eyes of those who would judge them, they could be together. Happily.  
____

_____I wish I had that picture still… _  
______

______“Axel! We’re leaving!”  
______

______

“Ah, I’ll be right out!” Axel called back, Larxene’s shrill shout cutting through his nostalgic reminiscing. He carefully tucked the strip behind his and Sinon’s photo, careful to keep them both elevated and in sight before he dashed down the hall.  
XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX  


“The history museum?” Axel read, staring at the field trip slip with a sour expression. “You sure you wanna go, Xi?” He lifted the paper straight up, staring down at the young girl sprawled out over his lap. Her legs were bent at the knee, kicking back and forth in the air as she played with an app on her phone.  


“Of course I do!” she countered, turning off the screen and giving Axel a pointed look. “History is really cool! It’s interesting to me!” Xion upturned her nose, but quickly lost interest in appearing snooty when the commercial ended on TV. She crossed her arms beneath her face, staring at the screen as the news resumed.  


“You have an interest in all sorts of boring stuff,” he joked, petting her hair as he leaned over to find a pen. He tried to be wary of their dirty plates taking up precious space on the side table, nearly knocking over his Coke bottle in his search for a functioning pen.  


Honestly, Axel was thrilled Xion had such an interest in learning. It was something she inherited from her mother, and he was so proud of both her inquisitive mind and impeccable grades. He just liked to mess with her, seeing as how he only became the “model student” when he entered college.  


“Of course you can go,” he mumbled, signing his name with the faded leather of their old couch as a surface. “The fifteenth…” he repeated, tasting the date like it was some new spice. “You’ll need to pack a lunch, and I’ll need to drop you off at the school early and pick you up later,” he recanted, dropping the paper onto the pile of other’s he’d already gone through.  


“You can take the day off and clean!” Xion cheered, rolling onto her back and revealing a mischievous smile. “You know, that thing you keep putting off.”  


“And I suppose you expect me to fix the leaky faucet? And the lock on the door? And the dishwasher?” He listed the major complaints they both had, and they both started laughing. “You wish! I’ll sooner whine to our cheap landlord before I drop a single cent in this dump.” He shooed her to her feet.  


“We’ll move when you get a better job, right?” She parroted his familiar excuse, and he rolled his eyes in a dramatic fashion. “I’ll go put it on the calendar.” Xion jumped to her feet, sliding along the creaky floorboards and straight into the kitchen.  


“Be careful!” he warned, rubbing the back of his neck as he moved to grab the last of Xion’s school papers. “It’s starting to fall apart, so—”  


“I know, I know.” Xion carefully lifted the heavily marked up pages of their schedule. It was a system they adapted together, Axel having struggled to balance work, school, and a child while he was pursuing his higher degrees. They both consulted it whenever they made plans, and Axel always read it with his morning coffee.  


“Jeez, conferences already?” Axel bemoaned from the living room, Xion chuckling as she penned her field trip down in bold lettering. “I swear, you just started the year, didn’t you?”  


“Try months ago, Papa,” Xion reminded, shaking her head as she lowered the paper back in place. “My teacher wants me to consider gifted courses. Or skipping a grade‒”  


“You’re nine!” Axel was scandalized, Xion about to round the corner to comfort him when the phone began to ring. “Ah, grab that, sweetie.” He looked back to the paper, Xion spinning on her tiptoes to snatch the old, spiral cord-style phone stuck on the wall.  


“Hello! You’ve reached the Lea—oh, hi, Uncle Reno!” Xion’s voice lifted upward in recognition, smiling widely as Axel groaned from the couch. “Yeah, we just finished dessert,” she responded, leaning against the wall. “Mm, Papa’s still up. Do you need to talk to him?”  


Axel gathered their dishes, tossing them into the kitchen sink while Xion recanted to his cousin about her school day. Before she could get very far, he stole the phone from her hand and placed it against his shoulder.  


“Spell ‘maneuver.’”  


“M-a-n-e-u-v-e-r.”  


“Good job. Go pick something to watch; you earned it.” Axel tilted his head toward the living room, smiling at her excitement at winning another hour in front of the TV. 

“Sorry. What do you want, Reno?”  


_“Ah, I love how you quiz her after she does really well on a test!” _Reno laughed, taking up the line as Axel slumped into the nearest chair.  
__

__“Just checking if she actually learned it,” he sighed, staring at his socks.  
__

__

__“What? You think that angel would cheat? Xion?” _ _Reno laughed again at the incredulity of the thought. _ _“Still, I bet you know all the tricks, huh?” _  
_______

_______“I needed to pass somehow,” Axel grumbled, frowning at a hole in the fabric. “Besides, Cecil was always careful about it when I managed to get anything above a C.” His lips quirked upward, reminiscing the days his adoptive father sat him on the opposite end of their table to quiz him. “But enough about my parenting. What do you need?”  
_______

_______

_“How hurtful!” Reno yelled, Axel pulling the phone from his ear and glaring at the receiver. _“What? I can’t express an interest in my cousin? Or my adorable niece?” _  
___

___“Mr. Shinra isn’t in the hospital again, is he?” Axel felt nervous, knowing Reno to launch into long winded rants when he was nervous.  
___

___

_“No.” _Reno had the decency to take the comment seriously. _“But I did want to talk to you about something because of that stupid president. I mean, he’s such an idiot! A workaholic! A slave driver. Do you know that today he had me—” _  
____

____“Reno~o,” Axel moaned, rolling his eyes. He could hear Xion laughing at whatever was on TV, and he was still pretty tired from interviewing so extensively lately. He just wanted a relaxing evening with his daughter. “Get to the point?”  
____

____

_“Oh. Yeah, right.” _Reno chuckled nervously. _“I called because I wanted to tell you something. Duh.” _Axel remained quiet, inciting he continue. _“So, my workaholic partner seems to have scheduled a string of important meetings and events during our usual vacation time.” _  
______

______“Did he?” Axel feigned interest, wondering why Reno would feel the need to complain about this to him. Isn’t that what he had a sister for? “You poor thing!” He faked outrage, voice raising in pitch to accompany the act.  
______

______

“Haha. Prick.” Reno snorted. “And here I called to offer our tickets to you. They were for Radiant Garden, after all!”  


“R-Radiant Garden?”  


Axel stopped thinking.  


_“Yeah! Rufus and I go once a year, ya know? Mainly we visit Kairi and some of his family but the hotel we go to is pretty damn ritzy. There’s a lot of cool monuments and stuff, too,” _he continued, but Axel couldn’t get past the name. _“Well, bottom line is that we can’t go anymore. So, when I mentioned it to Kairi, she told me to offer them to you.” _  
____

____“To me?” Axel was standing again, tone harsher than intended as he began to pace before the phone receiver on the wall. “Did she say why?”  
____

____

_“Ah, nothing more than the usual ‘I never get to see them anymore!’” _Reno raised his voice to mimic Kairi’s, and had it been any other situation, Axel would have laughed. _“She mentioned that you’ve never visited, even though you were always looking for tickets when you were younger. Kai also mentioned some friend? Roman? Ronald?” _  
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____“Roxas.”  
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____

Even the name felt strange to speak aloud, like it was some sort of verbal taboo. Axel felt his heart beat faster.  


_“That’s it!” _It sounded as if a real light bulb switched on in Reno’s head. _“Yeah, weren’t you always tryin’ to visit ‘im? Think he still lives in that flat with Kai and her school friends. You know the ones.” _Reno mentioned the last bit in passing, but Axel vividly recalled each of her friends because they’d been important to Roxas, too.  
____

____“A-Are you offering them to me?” Axel wasn’t sure what else to say, staring ahead blankly as Reno hummed over the line.  
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____

_“Xi’s never been there, right? Kid loves history and stuff, so she’ll love the place!” _he advertised, Axel’s eyes already glued to the calendar on the refrigerator. _“I feel like you also said she’d be on break coming up, right? It’s the perfect timing!” _  
____

____“Y-Yeah, I guess, but—”  
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____

_“Great! Look, I’ll drop the tickets off at your place tomorrow. I’ll ask Rufus if it’s possible to transfer the hotel reservation to you. See ya~!” _Reno hung up before Axel had the chance to protest, and he was left to his own devices.  
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__A truly dangerous mercy for someone like him.  
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_Radiant Garden…I can finally go there, after ten years? _The thought was too unreal. Axel had trouble believing he’d actually heard Reno right at all, or if he’d even answered the phone at all. Still, as the dial tone filled his ear and the chill of the drafty kitchen window assaulted his skin, he couldn’t wrap his head around it.  
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___I can see…Roxas. _  
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____The TV volume lowered dramatically, followed closely by a timid “Papa? You okay?” Axel tried to open his mouth, but no words would come out. It was like a lump had formed there, and his throat was too dry to move. It was like some sort of hex; a result of speaking the forbidden name aloud.  
____

____

“Papa? Is Uncle Reno okay? And Mr. Shinra, too?” Xion’s footsteps echoed loudly in his ears, and he felt each step like a direct hit to his heart. When she rounded the corner, dressed in her PJs with her damp hair glittering in the light, Axel was drawn to her impossibly blue eyes.  


Eyes like her mother’s no doubt…but also like—  


“Mr. Shinra and Reno aren’t able to take their yearly vacation,” Axel was finally able to choke out. Leaning against the wall, he gestured her closer, and she took the last tentative steps to her father’s side. “They were going to Radiant Garden—”  


“Radiant Garden?!” Xion interrupted, spinning so she stood opposite Axel and trapping him to the wall. “The Radiant Garden? The home of the best museums in the country? The most popular monuments in this area? The place all of my friends have gone except me? The place where Auntie Kairi lives? That one?”  


“It’s the only one I know,” Axel joked back, smile strained as he slid down the wall so he was closer to her height. “Well, Uncle Reno’s giving us the tickets. And I promised you I’d take you wherever you wanted to go during your break, so…”  


_I can’t tell her we’re going, _Axel realized, smiling at her. It would be too selfish if I did. His desire to see Roxas after so long was both frightening and empowering. He was scared out of his wits by the prospect, but there was still a part of his aching heart that clung to the idea of seeing that smile one more time.  
__

___But I can’t make this call alone. _  
____

____“You don’t mind if we don’t go to the beach?” Xion countered, looking genuinely shocked, and Axel just shook his head.  
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____

“It’s your break. Don’t tell me we’ve been going all this time because you were trying to make me happy?” Axel couldn’t believe how kind-hearted she was at times. She shook her head, playing with her nails as she thought deeply.  


When she came to a decision, she brought her gaze to his. “Then can we go to Radiant Garden? Together?”  


_Thank you, Xion. _  
__

__Axel assured her that they could, pulling her into a tight embrace. He brushed his hands through her hair gently, thinking back to the days he could hold Roxas this way in a moment of frivolous reminiscence. They returned to the living room shortly after, but Xion didn’t last much more than a half hour.  
__

__

Axel carried her to bed, tucking her in gently and turning on her nightlight before he left. When he returned to his own room, he stripped down to his boxers. When he was putting his clothes in his closet, he snatched the picture reel from the door, taking it with him to bed.  


He looked at the same three images for another hour, just thinking about all the memories he’d kept hidden away for a decade. Axel’s heart raced all over again, and he felt light as air when he finally began to drift off. There was no doubt in his heart that seeing Roxas would be terrifying, but if there was even the slightest chance he could, he’d take it.  


Not even to try and hold him again. Axel would be satisfied just to apologize to him. For everything and nothing.  


_Somehow, I just want to see him again. _  
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__Axel fell into a fitful sleep, eager and afraid for the morning to come.__

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	2. A Coward with a Broken Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More exposition. Aren't you excited?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoops! It's a day late, but at least its here, right? Sorry about that! Anyway, enjoy the second chapter!

The bells above the pizzeria door were the only indication that someone had entered. It was too early for actual patrons—especially since the sign above the store still read ‘closed’—so Marluxia felt little need to greet the newcomer. He continued to walk around the tables, snatching chairs from the table tops and lowering them to the floor.

            “Mornin’.”

            “Mornin’, Axel.”

            Axel trudged further into the room, backpack swinging weakly from his shoulder as he stifled a yawn. Marluxia was halfway across the room, but he could still see the tension radiating from his body. He chewed his lip awkwardly, watching Axel wave to Larxene before disappearing into the kitchen.

            Marluxia took that as his chance to move in, finishing his task before sauntering over to the counter. “Axel look strange to ya?” he wondered aloud, directing his question to his busy wife.

            “He always looks strange, Marluxia.” Larxene’s tone was low and clipped. She didn’t lift her eyes from the cash register, setting the system up for another day of business. “He’s a certified giant with bright red, spiky hair. How can he _not_ look strange?”

            “You know what I mean.” Marluxia puffed out his cheeks, narrowing his eyes in annoyance. Still, for all her airs, she looked over her shoulder an awful lot. Much like Marluxia, she must have been trying to spy him through the service window. “Think Xi’s okay?”

            “Would he be here if she wasn’t?” Larxene regarded him at last, staring at him as if he’d suggested the sky were brown. “Honestly, if you’re so concerned, stop whispering with me and ask _Axel‒”_

            “What?”

            Both Marluxia and Larxene visibly jumped at the sound of Axel’s voice. He was dressed for the work day in long black pants and shirt, his black sneakers squeaking with his every step as he approached the pair. As he moved, he wrapped apron strings around his hips and tied it around his front.

            “Marluxia had a question for you,” Larxene elbowed Marluxia, forcing him off balance and making enough of a ruckus for her to escape around them. If he didn’t love her as much as he did, he’d have probably been angrier at being thrown under the metaphorical bus. Marluxia was a man of pride, however, and would not be deterred by being the center of attention.

            “Question?” Axel echoed, sounding more disbelieving than anything else. He lifted his arms next, pulling his long spikes back in a ponytail. “Like what? Please tell me it’s not another weird ass idea to draw in customers.” Axel made a face, thinking back to the _last_ gimmick Marluxia had suggested they try with an obvious grimace.

            “Of course not! I mean a question l-like…” Marluxia suddenly lost his nerve, chewing his lips once more. He noticed Larxene leaning against the doorway into the kitchen, sneering in their general direction, but keeping her head cocked with an ear on their decision.

            _So much for not caring, darlin’…_

“Like…?” Axel prompted, lifting a thin eyebrow in question. “Sometime today? I’ve gotta set up the crust so the yeast can rise.” He jabbed a thumb over his shoulder at the doorway to the kitchen, jerking Larxene from her eavesdropping location for fear of being discovered _caring_.

            Marluxia decided to come clean. There was no reason to try and save face when there was nothing to be lost. “You look weird today, Ax! Like you didn’t get enough sleep? I dunno…” he trailed off, shifting his weight and rubbing the back of his head. “Somethin’ botherin’ ya?”

            For a second, Axel looked scared. His eyes widened in a manner that Marluxia wasn’t entirely used to, body straightening to its full, impressive height. It brought him nearly a full head above Marluxia, forcing him to crane his neck if he wanted to keep staring at him. He could see the tension filling his muscles as the seconds ticked by, limbs twitching minutely while his limbs spread a bit in a fight or flight like response.

            Yet, as quick as it appeared, Axel returned to normal in no time at all. He offered a weak laugh, tossing his chin over his shoulder and gesturing to the kitchen.

            “Nothin’ really,” Axel offered, turning his back to Marluxia entirely. Larxene was nowhere to be seen, so Marluxia had no idea of knowing what kind of expression he was making. “I’ll be taking my two week vacation starting Monday. I’m…going on a trip.” Axel’s voice wavered near the end, and he rubbed the back of his neck uneasily.

            “Trip? To where?”

            “Radiant Garden.”

            Marluxia felt his own blood turn to ice, and he let Axel disappear into the kitchen. When Larxene returned to his side for answers, he offered a simple retelling. Her response was less obvious, but Marluxia had known her long enough to recognize the set of her jaw and the look in her eye.

            “If he’s going there,” she began, typing away on her iPad, “then has he accepted it?”

            Marluxia peeked through the open window that led him into the kitchen. He spotted Axel along the far counter, standing in front of their large mixing bowl and tossing yeast into the flour mixture. Axel worked mechanically, habit driving his every action even as his coworkers began to file in from the back entrance and front alike. He spoke well enough, but Marluxia could _hear_ the flat tone that lurked beneath his every greeting.

            “Knowing Axel? Not at all,” Marluxia offered at last. He took Larxene’s shoulders into his hands, massaging them strongly to keep his attention from Axel. “But he’s the type of idiot that would cure a fear of drowning by diving into the deep end.”

            “A special kind of moron,” Larxene agreed, lifting a hand to cover one of Marluxia’s. “You’ll have to keep an eye on him today. I don’t want him getting hurt because he’s thinking too hard.” She stalked off, forcing her way into the kitchen to bark orders and begin working on the inventory.

            All Marluxia heard was concern for an old friend. A request driven by worry, and fear of past habits resurfacing at the worst time. Marluxia understood it clearly, and went to work wiping the tables down.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

            The bells above the door chimed once more, barely audible over the chatter of the packed restaurant and the soft sounds of eighties music. Axel was working the counter, trained to lift his head and offer a greeting to whoever entered with a smile. He hadn’t been particularly spirited throughout the morning and afternoon though. As such, Marluxia was strict in his wishes to keep him far from the public eye.

            Except the _usual_ counter girl was in the bathroom and it was the dinner rush. It was unavoidable. Larxene barked at him to stand there and look nice, threatening to paint his face with pizza sauce if a single family decided to turn tail at his sour expression.

            Axel hadn’t thought it was particularly sour, but a coworker assured him that he looked as if he were perpetually sucking a lemon. He’d been lucky so far, but he shouldn’t have been expecting to get though so easily.

            So, Axel slapped the best smile he could muster onto his face.

            “Yo! Welcome to‒”

            “Gross, just stop there.”

            “Papa, you’re really creepy.”

            Axel’s eyes flew open, mouth falling open at the sight of Reno and Xion standing just past the doorway with twin sneers. Reno stood in his usual messy suit, shirt untucked and covered in mystery stains with muddy boots trekking a mess onto the mostly clean floor. Xion’s arms encircled his neck, and he lowered her from his back while cracking a smile.

            Xion raced across the floor, jumping up to meet Axel as he rushed around the counter to catch her in his arms. She giggled when her arms touched his back, and she let herself be raised back into the air. She pecked his cheek sweetly, and he ruffled her hair in response.

            “What’d I tell you about going near creepy old men, huh?” Axel chastised, grinning madly at the indignant shout from Reno’s direction. “Don’t scare me like that!”

            “What the hell?” Reno roared, groaning after them as Axel led Xion toward the back of the busy restaurant and placed her in an empty booth. “I’m not _that_ old, ya brat!” he defended, worrying the usual counter girl—who had since returned—with his rough manner of speech. Axel apologized on his behalf, Reno glaring as he shouldered past to join Xion in her school work near the back.

            “Gimmie a beer, will ya?” Reno called over his shoulder. Axel huffed in annoyance, rolling his eyes as he slipped back into the kitchen to grab a soda instead. He told a fellow employee to deliver the drinks, accepting the duty of loading the pizzas into the oven in exchange. He was just about to head back with a mop—since Reno’s boots tracked mud _everywhere_ —when he noticed a flash of pink in the corner of his eye.

            “Ah, Marluxia!” Axel called, catching sight of the elusive store owner as he paced around the kitchen. He was planning to inform him that Xion was here—in case he wanted to go and greet her—but stopped short at the expression on his face.

            Marluxia’s eyebrows were drawn in concern, lips formed in a tight, impassive frown as he inspected the state of the kitchen. He moved around it stiffly, seeming to be outrunning something unpleasant behind him. Larxene—a possible source of Marluxia’s worry, in Axel’s opinion—trailed after him, waving a knife around like it was an extension of her hand at the _other_ source of his worries.

            The landlord.

            Axel hadn’t even noticed him arriving.

            “Mr. Andrews, you are $600 short on your rent this month,” the landlord explained, expertly avoiding Larxene to finally trap Marluxia. “We’re willing to overlook the shortcoming by adding it to next month’s rent. A deal available only to you for your usually well-timed payments.”

            “T-Then it’ll be over $2,500?” Marluxia gasped, blinking rapidly while unable to meet Larxene’s suddenly lifeless eyes. “We…we can’t afford that.”

            “May I suggest another loan, Mr. Andrews? Your pizzeria is a town staple…” He backed off, looking as sinister as a comic book villain. “It would be a shame if something were to happen, and the store closes.”

            A noticeable chill fell over the kitchen, the landlord speaking loud enough for everyone to hear. Even after he left, there was an air of unbreakable tension as all eyes fell to Marluxia. He still leaned against the wall, eyes wide but unseeing as he ran his nails along the wall behind him. To Axel, it seemed as if he was still trapped. Not by the presence of the landlord, but by the oppressive idea of taking another loan.

            Larxene was the one to break the silence, clapping her hands in a way that scared everyone in the kitchen. “I don’t believe we’re on break, people. It’s the dinner _rush_ for a reason. Back to work!”

            She whisked Marluxia away in an instant, Axel watching them go while keeping his eye trained on the sorrowful expression on Marluxia’s face. His lips were moving quickly, far quicker than Axel would have been able to easily read. However, Larxene’s response was clear enough: _We’ll get through this._

            It made Axel guilty, his own problem paling in comparison to theirs. _And they were so concerned about me this morning…_

            Axel returned to his duties, mixing and kneading the dough, if not a little harder than usual.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

            “Here we go~!” Axel cheered, setting down a large pizza on the empty side of Xion’s booth. She sat against the wall, homework papers sprawled out in front of her and Reno as they worked through math problems together. Well, as Xion worked through them. The more Xion described the order of operations, the more confused Reno became. It was like she was explaining quantum physics instead of addition and subtraction.

            “Eh? Where the hell’s the toppings? It’s so bare!” Reno bemoaned, lifting a slice from the tray regardless of his actual complaint. Axel could only glare in response, lifting a slice off onto a plate for Xion and himself.

            “You know Xion hates anything but cheese,” Axel reminded, jabbing Reno in the side when he tried reaching for another slice without finishing the first.

            “Well,” Xion began, shuffling her papers together and stuffing them into her backpack, “to be fair, I’ll _tolerate_ pepperoni…but only a little.” She held up her hands, keeping eight fingers raised. “This many, to be precise.”

            “How specific,” Reno mumbled around a mouthful of food, earning another jab to the side as Axel took his seat to Xion’s side. “What now?”

            “You’re disgusting.” Axel stuck his tongue out, Xion giggling as she reminded him that Axel hated when people spoke with their mouth full. Of course, this incited Reno to launch into an embarrassing story of Axel’s childhood impropriety. The story in question pertaining to the shameful challenge brought by Reno as to who could fit more marshmallows in their mouth. That is to say, Axel lost and nearly choked in the process. He was only four at the time.

            “Axel!” a coworker called, waving to him from a distance as he took to the floor with a mop. “The boss says to take your time. He’s letting you off early tonight!” Instead of smiling, Axel only frowned. He was supposed to work until closing. “He said he’d call you about your next shift.”

            “Did he? Well. Thanks for the heads up!”

            Reno was quick to detect Axel’s unease, watching him from the corner of his eye while inhaling another slice of pizza. He was respectful though, waiting until they finished their dinner and were walking home before saying anything. Xion was some ways ahead of them, skipping happily.

            “Mar-Mar short on money?” Reno inquired at last, hands shoved deep in his pockets. His eyes were glued to the opposite side of the street, giving Axel the freedom to let his true concern flare up.

            “Sounds like the rent went up again,” Axel started, Reno clicking his tongue as Axel continued. “The landlord was practically extorting him in the kitchen…like a buzzard to a carcass,” he spat, glaring at nothing in particular as rage boiled in his veins. He’d been sensitive to the needs of others for a long time, especially when it was to impossibly good people like Marluxia. But it was probably because his own father used to do the same…

            _Don’t think about him,_ he told himself, physically shaking his head of the thought.

            “Might have something to do with the gangs,” Reno brought up, finally giving Axel a sidelong glance. “Rufus is having trouble with ‘em, too, ya know? They’ve been harassing reactor employees. Making my job…pretty messy these days.” Reno looked to his boots, bringing attention to the dark mud stains on his slacks.

            “That so?”

            That was troubling. Axel didn’t know who owned what in Twilight Town, but he’d hoped Marluxia would be smarter than to deal with the mob in any way. It made him sick to his stomach to know his best friend may be in the pocket of some cold-hearted bastard, installing golden bathtubs with Marluxia’s hard-earned profits.

            They were both quiet for a while, watching Xion skip down the street and greet an elderly woman sitting on a bench.

            “The pizza’s good,” Reno muttered, taking a deep breath of the evening air. Axel stared at him, surprised by the bluntness of the comment and its irrelevance to the moment. “Best I’ve had in a while,” he added, smirking a little as he hurried his steps along to catch Xion. “I’ll have to tell Rufus all about that place, though I’d doubt he ever eat there. But he…likes to support local business.”

            It took a moment, but soon Axel was smirking as well. He understood the message loud and clear, bowing his head to hide his relieved smile. “You should. It’s a good place, run by a good man.”

            They caught Xion waiting for the crosswalk light, and traveled the rest of the way listening to Xion and Reno trade stories about their respective days. Axel was happy to just listen, shouldering both his own and Xion’s backpacks while she skipped along freely with Reno’s hand in her own.   

            Axel hoped that Marluxia wouldn’t lay anybody off. Although, if it was unavoidable, he hoped he cut him off first. He loved working at the place, but he would be the first to admit he had it better than most. Marluxia hired most anybody though, the bleeding heart that he was. Axel at least had prospects and was looking for a job.

            _But I can’t lose my job there before I find a career elsewhere._ He watched Xion’s back and listened to the sound of her laughter while Reno made another corny joke. _Jeez, when did things get so complicated?_ He rubbed at his temple fiercely, tuning his thoughts exclusively to ways he could help alleviate the burden on Marluxia.

            He was so caught up in his musing that he missed Xion’s inquiry about ice cream. Reno just frowned in his direction, assuring her that they would get some next time he visited.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

            “Drop your clothes outside the door!” Axel called, dropping their bags off on the table as Xion tore down the narrow hallway to the bathroom. “I mean it! I’m doing a load before bed, so if you want to wear those pants Friday, I need ‘em!”

            “ _Okay~!_ ” Xion’s voice filtered in from the hallway.

            “I didn’t get a chance to ask,” Axel began as he turned his attention to Reno, walking toward the refrigerator to pull out two cans of pop, “but why were you at the restaurant so early today anyway? I thought you’d be at work still…all things considered,” he added hastily, taking Reno’s earlier admission into account. He tossed the can at Reno, the other catching it with practiced ease as he plopped down at the kitchen table.

            “Ah, yeah…” Reno mumbled, cracking the can open with a loud hiss of carbonation. “Rufus suspended me early this afternoon.”

            Axel nearly choked on his own drink. “ _What?_ ”

            Reno regarded his drink as if it were an important piece of evidence in a murder trial. “Stupid, right? It’s really annoying. And it’s all because of a certain _incident_ I had nothing to do with.” Reno glared at the can, fingers clenching around the aluminum until it buckled from the force. Axel watched him in concern, but Reno offered nothing more. “Anyway, I got bored. Thought I’d pick my adorable niece up from school and escort her to her Papa’s side.”

            Axel doubted the truth in that statement, but didn’t push for more details. He focused on his own drink, thinking up possible scenarios in his mind when Reno began to fiddle with the inside of his jacket.

            “Ah, nearly forgot about these!” Reno withdrew a white envelope from his inner pocket, tossing it onto the table top. “One luxury vacation, as promised.” Reno drained the rest of his pop, crushing the can against his forehead in old, party-trick habit. He stood then, tossing it into the recycle bin by the refrigerator with a hum. “The hotel info’s all there. They know to expect ya.”

            Axel felt his heart stop, the events of the evening having completely scrubbed Reno’s _true_ purpose of visiting from his mind.

            “Talked to Kai again,” Reno began, mulling his words over carefully. “She’s… _excited_ , to say the least,” he offered with a chuckle, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. “Anyway, I oughta head back now.” Reno turned around, heading for the front door. “Been craving a beer all day, but hangin’ with you ’s like bein’ stuck in the damn prohibition.”

            “Don’t mock my tastes!” Axel gushed out, barely able to get in a good response with how strange he suddenly felt. His heart was beating erratically in his chest, and he could barely think past the realization that his trip was _real_ and _imminent._ He clambered to his feet, crossing the floor until he caught up to Reno beside the front door.

            “Yeah, yeah, you’re some saint among us sinful mortals,” Reno teased, shoving his feet back into his muddy boots. “Unfortunately for you, I feel like dabblin’ in all sorts tonight. Sodomy, for a start, providin’ that Rufus is _actually_ home.” Reno tossed a suggestive wink over his shoulder, Axel rolling his eyes.

            “That mouth of yours is seriously grating,” Axel bemoaned disgustedly. Reno laughed loudly, reaching for the handle. “It’s gonna get you into trouble one day, mark my words!”

            “I’d be more worried about what trouble my _mind’s_ gonna get me into!” Reno countered, offering a two-fingered salute over his shoulder. “See ya, Axel!”

            “See ya...and thanks! F-For the tickets,” Axel struggled out, chewing the inside of his cheek as he lost steam. Reno just laughed again, the sound following him down the hallway and back to the elevator.

            Without distraction, Axel was left with his thoughts. He paced back to the kitchen table, regarding the envelope that sat in the middle of the table like a ticking time bomb. He circled it slowly, gnawing the inside of his cheek as he jumped between snatching up the envelope and leaving it for tomorrow’s coffee.

            Just inside the gentle folds of paper were two train tickets and a reservation confirmation. The metaphorical keys to the elusive Radiant Garden, capital of Hollow Bastion. With this envelope, Axel was officially out of excuses. He couldn’t meet Roxas before out of shame for losing his promise ring. Then it became an issue of being unable to support himself properly and seriously. And finally, it was simply a matter of no time or means to travel.

            But he’d all but accepted the loss, and was on track for a career. Until now, he’d just used Xion and the pizzeria as an excuse…but he couldn’t truthfully use them anymore, could he? No, it would simply be cowardice. How else could he explain the urge he had to simply brush the tickets into the trash?

            Axel was fond of the life he lived. He was fond of waking up every morning to the bubbly face of his nine-year-old daughter, seeing her off to school, and working all day at the pizzeria; spending weekends together cleaning the apartment and goofing off in the neighborhood; occasionally visiting his parents, or even Demyx and Zexion if they were in town. It was a nice life. It was simple. Safe.

            Seeing Roxas would ruin everything.

            The carefully crafted walls he’d formed in his memories would crumble. His restraint would be tested. His loyalties would be tested. The comfortable, simple way of life that Axel led would be lost. There would be no way to come out of a meeting with Roxas unscathed.

            _Besides, he probably despises me,_ Axel decided, standing in front of the envelope squarely. _If he even recognized me,_ he added to himself contemptuously, tossing his empty can into the recycle bin with a resounding _ding_. If Axel met Roxas, everything would change. It was unavoidable.

            Not to mention that Xion—as intelligent as she is—wouldn’t be able to ignore that change in him. And what if she starting asking questions? He wasn’t ready to confess everything to her quite yet. He wanted more time to formulate reasons and explanations…he didn’t want to _ruin_ her childhood like his own had been tarnished.

            _I could always just avoid him._

Axel considered the idea, sitting at the table with the envelope in reaching distance. It wouldn’t be hard to just ask Kairi to visit _them_ , would it? Radiant Garden was huge! The odds of meeting Roxas on the street were few and far between. _This is Xion’s vacation, too!_ he reminded himself, steadily gaining steam in his idea. There was plenty in the city to occupy Xion’s and his time. If there was no time to see Roxas, that was even better.

            _Besides…I have no right to seek him out after all this time. After everything that happened to him because of me._

            Axel left the envelope on the table, setting out to collect Xion’s clothes for the laundry. Xion appeared when he was in the laundry room, helping him sort the colors and start the machine. He put her to bed, reading a few chapters aloud from the novel they were reading together before she finally fell asleep.

            Axel made sure she was asleep before hopping in the shower himself. He didn’t bother drying off properly, collapsing face first on his bed for a night of fitful sleep.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

            “All right, you have everything you need?” Axel asked, putting the car in park a block from the school entrance. It was busier than usual, a slew of parents like himself dropping their child off early in preparation for their field trip. “You have your phone, your lunch, and your bag?”

            “I already said _yes_ , Papa!” Xion moaned, leaning forward in her seat to childishly whine. “The last hundred times you asked, too,” she added under her breath, earning a light tug on her short, black locks. “Ouch!”

            “I’m just concerned,” Axel clarified, petting Xion’s head gently in apology. Xion’s pouting face changed instantly, and she regarded Axel strangely for a full minute. Her expression was imploring—contemplative, even—and reminded Axel of her mother immediately. She looked like she had something to say, but ultimately changed her mind at the last minute.

            “I’ll text you when we get to the museum,” Xion promised, unbuckling and sliding out of the car. “Have fun cleaning!” she cheered, Axel moaning in exaggerated annoyance just to hear her laugh. He reached out the passenger window, ruffling her hair one last time—followed by Xion’s admonishment for messing it up—before she ran off to join her friends at the gate.

            He watched after her through the windshield, feeling his heart clench up as she nervously greeted a boy among the group. Dressed in her white shirt and pleated skirt uniform, hair combed and pinned back with a flower barrette, he quickly concluded she was too good for any of the boys in her class. Luckily for Axel, Xion had professed many times that she wasn’t as interested in boys as they were in her.

            So he had time, at least, but he predicted he’d soon have to chase them off with broom sticks. It was a chilling thought.

            As he put the car in drive, he noticed some of the older students running past, no doubt on their way to the high school still a few blocks from here. He spotted a haughty looking youth running along with his friends, slowing down as he passed a lonely looking boy not far from him. He watched in rapt interest as the haughty one waved his friends ahead, bumping elbows with the other teen and showing off a broad smile that visibly relaxed the other. Axel didn’t know them, but he could tell they were friends.

            _At least he didn’t trip him._

            Axel laughed a little to himself as he finally pulled away from the curb. He’d be lying if he said the sight of those teenagers didn’t stir the memories he’d rather forget.

            Running into Roxas had been an impulse. He’d been drawn to the same loneliness in those cerulean eyes that he saw every time he looked in the mirror. Axel had clung to this fantastical idea of befriending him, never dreaming of the relationship they would form. At the time, he’d acknowledged the chance for failure, but resolved to never give up. It was something to live for during a time where he could hardly muster a reason to wake up in the morning.

            Roxas had saved him once…twice, really. Aside from taking a bullet for him when they were barely adults, he’d saved him by simply _existing_. As short a time as they spent together, they were some of the best in his memories.

            Like taking him out to the park, or hearing Demyx perform at an under-21 club…or even laying out under the stars. Every minute he spent with Roxas was a precious memory he used to forget his own scarred, blackened past. It was their interactions that set him on the straight and narrow _for real_ and pushed him to become the model father he was now…

            Well, as model of a father as he could be.

            _I’m still a novice at best—_

            “Ah! Good morning, Axel!” an elderly neighbor greeted him, waving at him from the other side of the apartment’s gate. She and a few other residents were sitting in the messy, beaten-down patio area over some light snacks. Axel waved politely, nodding his head and declining their kind offer to join them (which he assumed to be the eye-candy of the group of gabbing grannies).

            “I actually promised my little girl we’d be going on a trip. I’ll be packing today,” Axel explained, the women cooing over what a good father he was for it. It was as if they forgot he _always_ took Xion on a trip this time of year. Well, Axel was hardly a talkative neighbor, so he couldn’t necessarily blame them for being surprised.

            “Oh?” the old woman began, catching his hand before he could head off. “Where to?”

            “Radiant Garden, ma’am.”

            “Oho~! What a nice trip you have planned! Doesn’t your son work over there?” She turned her attention to another woman in the group, waiting to see her nod her head around her coffee mug.

            “A lot safer over there than here, these days,” the other woman answered. “Wants to move me over there, the fool. Told him I’d never leave ‘cause I’ve got too much to move!” She slapped her large thighs for emphasis, the women lurching into a chorus of wheezing laughter that Axel used as a chance to quietly escape.

            He’d been hearing a lot more about the violence recently than he had in the past. He couldn’t help but wonder if _he_ was somehow behind it all. It seemed like that couldn’t be the case, but it was supposed to have been impossible for him to escape prison before too. Not that Axel even wanted to think about that man, or the pain those days from his past had brought.

            It just made him think of what happened to his friends back then…and Roxas.

            Axel shut the door behind him, leaning against the door when his thigh began to throb in the phantom pain of his own wound. He rubbed the skin gingerly, clenching his eyes shut as the memory of warm blood seeping through his fingers made his stomach churn. He could almost smell the discharge smoke, the loud _bang_ of the gun seared into his memories, for better or worse.

            “Maybe we should move back in,” Axel muttered to himself, thinking of the days he and Xion lived out of his parent’s mansion when he was finishing graduate school. They lived in a much better neighborhood than he did now, and it wasn’t like he was particularly attached to the area. Neither of them had much to their name, so moving wouldn’t be very hard.

            “Ah, but it’d be a pain to call the school over an address change,” he groaned aloud, stumbling through the entrance way and farther into the apartment.

            Besides, he was convinced his name alone was what kept Xion and him safe for this long. Even with that man in prison, his name was still known and feared. There was no doubt in Axel’s mind that he was being protected by that reputation, and it made him sick to his stomach. Not simply because the idea of Alec Jackson made him violently ill, but because he felt almost _grateful_ to be protected by that name.

            But he shook his head of such depressing thoughts. Instead, Axel surveyed the messy rooms with a frown, eyeing the pile of dirty clothes that had accumulated in _both_ their bedrooms that they’d expressed interest in packing. Xion’s bright idea was to carry the clothes into the living room so Axel wouldn’t forget, but all it served to do was piss him off.

            “I didn’t even _buy_ her this many clothes,” he mumbled, marching over to the pile to begin sorting.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

            “Wow,” Xion breathed, shutting the door behind her. “The floor’s actually clean,” she noted, toeing her shoes off and stuffing them into the shoe cubby beside the coat rack. Xion tossed her bag onto the floor—a bit carelessly, enough that Axel would have complained had he been around—and padded nervously into the kitchen.

            Axel’s lack of greeting with the apartment spotless had her a bit on edge. Although, it was a short-lived concern.

            “Ah!” Xion squeaked, spirits rising at the sight of chocolate chip cookies sitting on a plate at the table. She raced over like she was being pulled by a magnet, sliding into a seat to better reach the steaming specimen of cookies.

            They were still gooey, she learned, melting in her mouth and leaving a chocolatey mess all over her fingers. It was then that she observed all the dishes had been scrubbed, solidified by the loud, abrasive hum of the dishwasher filling the air. To Xion, it sounded like an asthmatic old man, struggling through what could very well be its last wash.

            The living room was spotless, too. Pillows were freshly fluffed and stacked appropriately on the shining, leather couches. The rugs seemed freshly cleaned, too, much like the hardwood floor that gleamed in the minimal lighting. Underneath the overwhelming scent of chocolate, Xion could faintly smell fresh lemons.

            She quickly pieced together that Axel had both washed _and_ treated the wood with special cleaner.

            “How…thorough,” Xion mumbled to herself, snatching another cookie and sliding back onto the floor. She walked through the narrow hall that lead to their bedrooms and the bath, finally noticing the rushing water of the tub as indication of Axel’s location. Xion stared at the door for a full minute, munching on the cookie as she debated rushing in there to announce her arrival.

            _He should know school is over by now._

Xion walked to her own room instead. Axel had promised to meet her at the bus stop to go and get some ice cream, but he’d obviously missed it. Not that Xion minded walking home alone, but she was a little bummed he’d lied. She’d been thinking about the ice cream all day.

            “Figures he’d be distracted,” Xion concluded, wiping her hands free of crumbs and licking away the remaining chocolate. She walked over to her chest of drawers next, pulling one out and frowning intensely at what was inside. “Seriously?”

            Xion was in the process of pulling out her favorites shirts when there was a gentle rapping on the door. She turned, spotting Axel leaning against the frame, hastily dressed with his hair still dripping.

            “Hey, princess!” He grinned, wiping droplets of water that fell from his long hair so they wouldn’t drop onto her floor. “How was that boring history museum? I heard the employees are part of the exhibits~!”

            “Rude!” Xion barked, upturning her nose as Axel laughed at his own joke. “For your information, it was a lot of fun. I got separated from the group at one point, though,” she added, holding her fingers to her chin in thought. “I got distracted looking at the old armor and weapons, but Mikey found me pretty quick!”

            Axel laughed up until he heard the name. “Who’s ‘Mikey’? Someone I should know about?” he pressed, a dangerous aura forming around him that had no effect on Xion. All she did was shrug, looking away from him as she set another shirt onto her bed.

            “A boy in my class,” she replied coyly.

            “A _boy_?”

            “It’s not important!” Xion huffed, crossing her arms in protest while refusing to meet Axel’s imploring gaze. She decided it would be a good idea to leave out the fact that they held hands as they walked back to the group.

            “Oh, do you _like_ this boy?” He stepped further into her room, crouching down to get in her face as he drew out his questioning. “My little angel is taking to _boys_ now? I thought you said they were stupid! A waste of time and effort!” he teased, smirking at the way her cheeks flushed before cackling at her discomfort.

            So what if she did? She was allowed to like boys!

            “I-I doesn’t matter!” she stuttered, cursing the quiver in her voice. Grasping at straws to turn the conversation away from herself, she turned to Axel swiftly. “D-Don’t you have to go dry your hair? You’re getting water all over my floor!”

            “What? I toweled it off a bit.” Axel scratched his head, still laughing a little at the pink lingering on her cheeks.

            “You’ll get a cold!”

            “Fine, fine! Jeez.” Axel waved her off, smirking in the face of her fiery gaze. “We’ll talk more later about this _boy_ you like. I want all the details—”

            “ _Papa!_ ” she shouted, pushing Axel bodily from her room and shutting the door after him. She leaned against the door after he was gone, catching her breath before launching herself onto her bed, regardless of the clothes she’d been lying out on top of it.

            She closed her eyes, sighing heavily into the sheets. At least her father looked somewhat like his usual self just now, but she could still tell that something was bothering him. She noticed it all week. Losing things in obvious places; getting lost in thought during the various things he did around the house. Just yesterday, he nearly set the kitchen curtains on fire because he’d forgotten about the stir-fry on the cooktop. She’d ran into the kitchen at the smell of smoke, finding him staring blankly at the envelope Reno gave him at the kitchen table. He’d been just as frightened as she when he finally came to his senses at her prodding.

            _I need to talk to him before we leave tomorrow. I want to know what’s bothering him so much._  

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

            “Papa,” Xion called, knocking lightly on his door as she poked her head inside the room. She couldn’t see him anywhere, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t somewhere in there. Xion tip-toed inside, spying his familiar red hair on the other side of his bed.

            “Uh, I’ll be there in a minute!” he called, unnoticing of the fact Xion was already in his room. She crept closer, curious as to what he was doing sitting where he was. His towel hung around his shoulders, hair falling flat around his head as he absently dabbed it with the cloth. He’d had the decency to put some pants on, but he was still without a shirt, and his chest glittered in the light.

            _If he doesn’t dry off, he’ll catch a cold._

Xion wanted to give him a lecture but hatched a more sinister idea of sneaking up on him.

            She was careful of her steps, avoiding the squeaky boards as best she could and stepping around on his—unusually—spotless floor so she was on the opposite side of the bed behind him. Xion placed her hands on the surface, ready to launch the rest of her body on top to startle him when she caught sight of what he was looking at.

            _“Ah—_ ”

            “Xion!” Axel jumped, dropping the thin photo strip into his lap and craning his head over his shoulder. He kept his hands strapped to his lap, obscuring every angle from Xion. “Wh-What are you doing in here? I thought you were still in your bedroom,” he mumbled, standing quickly to stare down at her.

            “I was just gonna come get the suitcases,” Xion confessed, feeling an odd pang of guilt, as if she’d seen something she shouldn’t have.

            “They need vacuumed first, silly.” He touched the top of her hair, nearly distracting Xion completely from the sly way at which he slid the pictures beneath the books stacked on his desk. “Look, I’ll get the vacuum, and you can pull the cases out. You know where they are.” His touch lingered, but soon fell away as he left the bedroom. “ _You’re so eager to pack up and leave!_ ” Axel’s voice carried from the hall, his words making Xion pout.

            “Excuse me for being excited!” she shouted after him, going over to his closet to pull the ugly, green suitcases free. Xion tossed them onto his bed, glancing surreptitiously at the open doorway for sign of her father. All she could hear was heavy thumping and loud clanking, interspersed with colorful language that would make Larxene blush.

            Assured that Axel would still be occupied for the time being, Xion moved stealthily to his desk. She pushed the books aside, revealing the face down photo strip that he’d been staring so intently at. She idly considered the repercussions of being caught. Not only was it rude to snoop in other people’s business, but also her father _clearly_ didn’t want her looking at these pictures.

            _Maybe it’s embarrassing photos of him and mom!_

            Xion touched them gingerly, flipping them over for inspection.

            But it was not what she expected. “Eh? Who’s…that?”

            It was easy to recognize her father’s face, following the softer lines of his jaw up to his familiar green eyes and tear drop tattoos. His face was thinner then, like he wasn’t eating enough. He was dressed in a t-shirt Xion vaguely recalled as one of the worn ones they’d used to sleep in when she was smaller. Her father let her wear it because he couldn’t anymore.

            The man beside him, however, was a total mystery. He had spiky blond hair that Xion could only gape at. She couldn’t imagine the time it would take to style it that way, knowing her father favored pulling his hair up these days in the face of similar difficulty. His face was rounded like a child’s with eyes just as big, and they were the deepest blue she’d ever seen. They reminded her of her own, in a way, or that of her mother’s…but there was a darkness in them that she couldn’t know.

            Xion flipped the paper over, reading her father’s horrid handwriting scrawled longways: _Roxas and Me_ followed by a drawn heart.

            “Rox…as?” Xion tested the name on her lips, face scrunching together at the odd, yet familiar sound. Like she had heard it somewhere before, but couldn’t remember when.

            Flipping it back over, Xion was quick to observe this Roxas’s general reluctance to be a part of the photos. Still…there was a growing, grudging acceptance that Xion could trace from picture to picture. When her eyes reached the bottom, she followed the jagged rip line there with a frown. There was obviously more to see, yet her father didn’t have it. The knowledge was stranger than the picture’s existence.

            _They’re sitting awfully close, aren’t they?_ Xion couldn’t help but wonder, jolting a little when the vacuum turned on.

            _“Xion~! Bring them out here, please? I…sorta knotted the plug!”_

            Xion slapped the pictures back onto his desk, pushing the books into place. “Coming!” she called, snatching the smaller suitcase and lugging it toward the door.

            _I’ll have to keep this to myself for now. I wonder if his friends know anything about this “Roxas” person._

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

            “Uh…Papa?” Xion called, sitting on the couch just behind Axel. She’d just finished carrying the last of her clothes to be packed into the living room, stacking them on top of the coffee table beside Axel’s own. “Can I ask you something?”

            “Sure!” Axel replied, not giving it much thought as he opened another pocket inside the larger suitcase. However, before she had a chance to speak, his fingers closed around something familiar that he couldn’t ignore. “Ah, see this? Your mama collected these the last time we went to the beach together,” he recalled, lifting the beaten, plastic bag of seashells.

            “R-Really?” Xion leaned forward, grasping the bag from Axel’s hand and taking it into her own. Like Axel, the mere mentioning of her mother’s name brought everything to a standstill.  

            “Yep!” Axel leaned back himself, draping a hand across her lap. He tipped his head back, staring at the brown patch on the ceiling tile from the leak the landlord refused to fix. “That was…three months before she took her bad turn? Yeah, because she passed in November of that year,” he confirmed the trip date himself, noticing the way Xion tensed with a look of gentle apology. “She had a lot of fun picking those out with you.”

            “With me?” Xion wondered, gazing at the shells. Axel chuckled at her renewed interest, taking the bag back to fish out a particular shell. Xion watched him with her head at a tilt, blinking rapidly when Axel pulled out a long, pink and yellow sea shell. “What’s—”

            “You found this one and brought it to your mama on our last day at the beach,” he explained, putting the shell into her small hand, closing her fingers around it. “She wanted to keep looking for shells with you, but she’d woken up sick and couldn’t make it to the beach for sunrise. You bugged me until I took you down there, and you found this as a present for her.”

            “I did that?” She laughed weakly, inspecting the shell closely. “Sorry, Papa.”

            “You were four; it’s to be expected.” He ruffled her hair, Xion batting him off until they were both laughing. “Oh, but what did you wanna ask me?” Axel recalled she mentioned having a question, setting to work resealing the pocket and placing his own clothes inside the case.

            “Yeah, uh…” Xion trailed off, her uncharacteristic speechlessness waving a red flag to Axel.

            “Hm?” he hummed, leaning back and turning his body to give her his full attention.

            “Are you…okay?” She looked at him with her last word, giving him the same intense comb over as she had just that very morning. A look so reminiscent of her mother that Axel was convinced she was in the room with them. A ghost would be a better explanation for the sudden chill he felt and the ball of lead that seemed to have dropped into his stomach.

            “Totally fine!”

            “Really?” Xion pressed, leaning closer with her eyebrows drawn and her lips turned down.

            “Honest!”

            “So why did you arrange my clothes by color and brand name?” Xion brought up, Axel’s airtight defense shattering instantaneously. “You also misplaced your car keys in the refrigerator, your cell phone in the dryer, and you nearly set the curtains on fire.” Each observation was like a sword to the chest, and Axel found it hard to breathe, much less get a word in edgewise.

            “You usually act this weird when something’s bothering you…so I was just curious,” Xion explained, drawing her knees to her chest and clutching the shell in her hand. “It all started when Uncle Reno offered us these tickets so—”

            “I’m just tired!” Axel tossed out, surprising them both by the sudden admission. Not that it was wrong in any way, but Axel most certainly _was_ losing sleep. He’d just been trying to get his mouth to work again, and he said the first thing that came to mind.

            Xion didn’t look convinced, and if Axel were being truthful, he’d be disappointed if she was. “You’re tired?”

            “I’m tired,” Axel reaffirmed, looking around the room. “I mean, I had all those job interviews this month, and I’m still recovering from grad school, ya know? And I’m working longer shifts, too, so—”

            “I get it.” Xion lowered her legs, regarding Axel seriously. He faltered in his rhythm, looking at her strangely. “Adding trip preparations on top of all that was hard on you. I’m sorry.”

            _Ah! She bought it? Score!_

“Sorry to worry you,” Axel apologized, touching the top of her head. “Jeez, you’re acting more and more like your mama every day. Pretty soon you’ll start reading my mind, just like her!” He pet her hair, pulling her down to press his lips to her forehead. “Why don’t you run along and get a dent in your summer homework, huh? I’m all good out here.”

            “Really? You just said—”

            “I’m a Papa,” he claimed, proudly pointing a thumb at his chest. “It’s just what we do.”

            “You’re a weirdo,” Xion clarified, smiling once more before crawling off the couch to do as she was told. Axel watched her go, keeping his air of confidence until he heard her bedroom door close. Once he heard the _thump_ , he collapsed against the couch behind him.

            He sighed heavily through his mouth, pulling the seashell bag closer to his face. Axel recalled clearly all the grumbling and fuss he made about bagging all her shells, especially the broken, chipped ones:

_“Who wants the broken ones? Only you, Sinon!”_

_“The broken ones are the prettiest, Axel. After all, they had the strength to remain together instead of shattering completely, right? Reminds me of someone I know.”_

_“S-Sinon—”_

_“He probably thought the same, you know. Roxas, that is.”_

            For the first time in a long time, Axel felt his eyes brim with tears. Not only because of the words Sinon spoke that day, but by the elation he still felt at the idea that Roxas might think the same.

XxXxXxXxXxXxX

            Axel stifled another yawn, fighting the urge to simply slide off the uncomfortable terminal chair and sleep on the floor. It was hard to focus on the planning of said maneuver with Xion chatting away with Reno and Rufus in the seats beside and opposite of him. He settled on the slow blink of a tired cat, head nodding repeatedly before a swift fist was delivered into his stomach.

            “ _Hyuh~!_ ”

            “Direct hit!” Reno praised himself, plopping into the seat opposite Axel and kicking his muddy boots up to rest on top of Axel’s knees. “You’re losing your touch, cousin!”

            “He’s just tired, Uncle Reno!” Xion came to his defense, leaning against his arm to shoo at his feet. “Don’t be mean to Papa!”

            “Reno, please act your age,” Rufus sighed, lifting a hand to his face and shaking his head in sorrowful despair. Axel had been surprised, to say the least, spotting both Reno _and_ the illustrious head of the Shinra Electric Company waiting for them at the Radiant Garden Train Terminal at eight in the morning. “It’s embarrassing.”

            “Your lack of support is painful, ya’know?” Reno growled, crossing his arms and legs with the puffed cheeks of a child. “Such a jerk…”

            Xion reached into the travel bag at her feet, moving to snatch the candy Rufus had gifted her, when he spoke again. “Would it not be wise to save the candy for your trip, Miss Xion?” Rufus posed, his calm and quiet voice resonating. She set the candy away immediately, accepting some apple slices Axel offered her instead.

            Reno appeared to take issue with his suggestion, launching into a quiet, but heated, discussion on the consumption of sugar by children.

            “I can’t help but wonder,” Axel began, drawing the attention back to himself. “What brings you two here so early in the morning? I mean, I thought you two were booked solid?”

            “He is.” Reno stuck his tongue out in Rufus’s direction, but it could have been the wind blowing for all Rufus seemed to care.

            “I do have meetings scheduled through the week, as well as next,” Rufus agreed, uncrossing his own legs and running his hands along the minuscule wrinkles that formed on his pants. “However, my doctor—”

            “A doctor he pays by the _breath_ ,” Reno sneered, rolling his eyes for effect. Despite having come from money himself, he looked poorly on those who spent it frivolously. Hence the mystery of why he even got together with the spoiled Rufus Shinra.  

            “—has advised me to keep my mornings stress free and arrange my schedule to allow for more rest,” Rufus finished, never losing a beat even when interrupted.

            “So did you sleep in today?” Xion asked, checking the time on her phone as she bounced along in her seat.

            “Of course,” Rufus stated matter-of-factly.

            “How late?” Axel was skeptical, to say the least.

            “Until six.”

            Reno visibly sagged in his chair, and Axel was instantly sympathetic to Reno’s frustrations. He patted his cousin’s knee comfortingly, and the two shared a moment of silence for their usual habit of sleeping in much, _much_ later than six in the morning. At that moment, however, a loud whistle blew, and they heard their train’s departure announcement shortly after.

            “Welp! That’s you two!” Reno declared, the first on his feet to pull Xion into a bone crushing hug. “See ya ‘round, lil’monster! Keep an eye on yer dad for me,” he instructed, kissing her cheek as he pulled away. She promised, moving to shake Rufus’s hand next as he offered a kind farewell.

            Reno moved to Axel next, pulling him into a one-armed hug. “Have fun, cousin. Try and relax a little, yeah? The night life ain’t too bad in those parts,” he teased, making sure to speak lowly so Xion wouldn’t overhear. Axel merely rolled his eyes, immune to such tricks, and pushed Reno away playfully.

            “Should I ask Rufus how you became so knowledgeable?” he challenged, pleased by the way Reno’s features drained of blood.

            “What would you ask me, Axel?” Rufus butted in, drawn in by the sound of his name. Reno was all but shaking in his boots, vigorously signing for Axel to keep his mouth shut. Pleased by the fool he was making of himself, Axel simply waved it off, and Rufus accepted it easily. “I wish you and your daughter a safe journey.”

            Rufus’s hand was as cold as the man himself—stiff and unfriendly in a formal kind of way. It still baffled Axel that someone like Rufus could see anything in his boisterous, annoying cousin Reno beyond his appearance. He was certainly happy for them, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t allowed to be confused by them. Unlike him, they’d been successfully together for years, privately married for the past three.

            Rufus and Reno walked them as far as they could go, eventually waving as Axel led Xion past the various inspections and check points. Reaching their seats while the train was relatively still empty, Axel made sure to take the time to secure the luggage properly. Xion was bouncing in her seat, leaning against the window with her hands on the glass.

            “Will the city be on this side, Papa?” she demanded, barely waiting for an answer before launching into her next line of inquiry. “I wonder if the conductor will offer any history as we near the city. Do you think they offer any informational booklets on the train, or would that just be a tourist center in the station thing—”

            “Easy, easy!” Axel collapsed in the seat beside her, rubbing her head much to her annoyance. “This is my first time, too, remember?”

            “I know that!” Xion snapped, turning her attention back to the window. “But I thought grown-ups just knew _everything_ ,” she teased, lifting a single eyebrow and looking over her shoulder. “That’s what you always claim, anyway.”

            “Touché.” Axel nodded, too impressed by her quick comeback to really get mad at her. “Anyway, I think I’m gonna take a little nap.” He slid down in his seat, closing his eyes slowly but keeping his ears alert.

            “Good idea,” Xion agreed, leaning over her armrest to kiss his cheek. “I’ll wake you when we get closer to the city.”

            “Good girl,” Axel said, wishing his legs would stop shaking and his heart stop racing.

            They hadn’t even left the station yet, and his body was already in full fight-or-flight mode. It was distressing. He’d been feeling uneasy all morning, trying to keep the illusion of lethargy in place to keep Xion from worrying too much. The reality of the step he was taking was finally catching up to him, and he felt like he was about to introduce the train car to his breakfast if he wasn’t careful.

            “Are you cold?” Xion’s voice rang out through his miserable thoughts, and he felt a small source of warmth cover his thighs. Peeking through his eyes, he could have cried at the kindness of his little girl. She’d tossed her jacket over his lap like Axel always did for her. It didn’t even matter to him that the jacket barely covered his lap, it just warmed his soul.

            He felt a little calmer with Xion by his side. Reaching out blindly, Axel searched for her hand, clasping it tightly when he found it. He felt the same disheartening guilt as when he first learned of their trip, but he tried desperately to bury it deep. Axel couldn’t shake the feeling that he was somehow _using_ his daughter, and it made him sick all over again.

Axel let his mind wander, thinking back to the spiky, golden-haired teen he’d seen off on this train. He thought of the tears on his soft cheeks and of the lie that poured from his own lips. The pain of watching him go— _letting_ him go—and the suffering of wanting him back.

_“You’ll take us to meet him one day, won’t you, Axel?”_

_“I’m not sure if I can.”_

            The conductor came on soon after, running through the usual instructions and advisements that Axel ignored. When the train finally lurched away from the platform, Axel felt his stomach do much the same, flying up to settle somewhere in his throat.

            The train began moving toward Radiant Garden, the Shining City, but Axel felt it was more like a prison train, taking him straight to hell.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

            “For the last time, the reservation is in _my name_ ,” Axel stressed, speaking as slowly and clearly as he could possibly manage. It was a lot harder than it appeared too, considering he was seconds away from throttling the concierge. They’d been at this for a full ten minutes, perhaps more, but the man _refused_ to give them their room keys.

            “Sir, I will repeat,” the man pressed, looking at Axel as if he were no more than a stain on the floor, “the reservation confirmation is under Mr. Sinclair’s name. As I explained, if he cannot be present in person at the time of check in, a phone call will suffice.”

            “I can’t get a hold of him right now!” Axel snapped, slapping his hands on the desk top and startling the receptionists to their right. “Please, if you give us the room now, I will _personally_ direct you a call that goes through—”

            “It would be a violation of policy, Mr. Lea.”

            “Can you make an exception? My little girl and I have traveled _hours_ —”

            “That would be against my moral principles. Now, if you would please step out of line.” He gestured behind Axel, outlining the distressed faces of those in the line that had formed behind him.

            Axel clicked his tongue loudly, snatching the confirmation papers violently from the desktop, and stalked out of the way. He didn’t bother listening to the mixture of amused and nervous whispers that followed him, instead searching the room for a familiar ugly green. He’d sent his daughter off at the first signs of trouble, and he had no idea where she’d gone.

            When he finally spotted the putrid shade of their suitcases, he located Xion as she paced back and forth before them and made a beeline to her side.

            “Ah, Papa! Were you able to reason with him?” Xion asked, lowering her phone from her ear at the sight of her father. When he slumped into the seat beside their luggage, her question was promptly answered. “You look upset. Did that clerk say something mean?”

            “Were you able to get a hold of your uncle?” Axel wondered, trying to change the topic for fear of causing a scene. Rage boiled beneath his skin, but he swore to act like a respectable adult whenever his daughter was around.

            “No,” Xion replied dejectedly, plopping down on the couch beside him. “It keeps going directly to voice mail. I even tried Uncle Rufus!” she added, staring at her cell phone clutched between her hands. “Nothing.”

            Axel didn’t want to think about what they could be doing to miss so many calls. “Then we’re sunk,” Axel declared, checking his watch as the numbers turned to six o’clock. “They’ll give the room away now.”

            “So what do we do?” Xion asked, eyes wide with concern but with a sparkle of blind trust only a child possessed. Axel sighed, pulling his own phone from his pocket and staring at the screen. “Do you think they can recommend another hotel to us?”

            “That’s probably against policy,” Axel mimicked the snooty way the concierge spoke, the impression making Xion giggle as she jumped back onto her feet. He took her hand, keeping her in place as he contemplated his options. “Why don’t you look at their brochure selection over there? Try to organize our tour of the city while Papa finds us a place to sleep.”

            “Okay!” Xion sang, dropping his hand and racing off toward the brochure display. It was only a few feet from their couch, making it easy to keep an eye on her while he thought.

            Axel knew what he could do, and then he knew what he _should_ do. As a man who lived on nearly minimum wage, he didn’t exactly have enough to shell out for a two-week stay in one of the most expensive cities in the country. It wasn’t called the Sparkling City for nothing. Still, he didn’t _want_ to do what he _should_ do.

            Call Kairi.

            She lived in the city, and she was also the reason they were even offered the chance to come here. A cousin he’d known since birth, but like her older brother Reno, she was more of a sister. The annoying sister. The one who would pester him relentlessly about his life in Twilight Town, including his dating life.

            And Kairi knew Roxas. Based off what Reno had said, she was probably still close with him. That would pose a problem considering Axel’s resolve to completely _avoid_ Roxas for the duration of his two-week stay.

            _So is it going to be money, or my pride?_ Axel wondered, looking between the wallet in his left hand and the cell phone in his right.

            The choice was fairly easy.

            Axel called Kairi, sighing pathetically as he stared after Xion picking every pamphlet she could reach. When Kairi didn’t answer immediately, Axel felt a nervousness begin to prickle his skin. _I never considered this,_ he panicked after the fourth, unanswered ring. _What if she doesn’t answer?_ It was practically unheard of for Kairi to miss a call, but the possibility existed.

            _But if I call her multiple times, I’ll look desperate!_ Axel was chilled to the core by the prospect. He bit his lip as he entered the sixth ring, resolved to kill Reno for causing this mess in the first place the next time he saw him. _I’ll slug him right across the mouth. Just you wait, Reno!_  

            _“Axel?”_

            “Ah!” Axel had been so distracted by the fantasy of vengeance on Reno, he’d totally missed her answering. “K-Kairi! Long time—”

            _“Are you at the hotel? Reno sent me a text saying you wouldn’t be able to get his room!”_ She sounded winded, out of breath or something; almost as if she were running somewhere, which was absurd. Kairi didn’t _run_ anywhere.

            “So the bastard knew we were stuck?” Axel groaned, feeling an edge of hysteria at the news. “Kairi, dear, would you mind terribly if I choked your brother?”

            _“Hell no! What’s that jerk ever done for me?”_ Kairi responded, bringing a small smile to Axel’s lips at the familiar attitude. _“Ah, excuse me, ma’am! I’ll be with you in a second, okay, Axel?”_

“What do you mea—”

            “Aunty Kairi!” Xion’s shout cut him off, Axel turning his head towards Xion as she bolted from the brochure rack and plunged into the crowd. He was on his feet in seconds, his superior height allowing him to locate her with ease, pressed tightly in the embrace of an equally familiar face. Axel jogged over to them, a broad smile on his face.

            “Well, I’ll be damned!” Axel joked by way of greeting, Kairi separating from Xion long enough to plaster her cheeks with kisses. “You actually came to our rescue? Here I thought I’d have to beg~!”

            “I’m not a monster!” Kairi jabbed him in the ribs, laughing a little before throwing herself into his chest. She was still much shorter than him, but her presence was overwhelming. Warmth spread from everywhere she touched, the sweet scent of roses filling his nostrils the longer she stayed embracing him. “I missed you, jerk.”

            “You too, brat,” Axel reciprocated, wrapping his arms around her in return. Kairi was still slender, but she’d filled out a bit with age.

            She’d turned out to be a spitting image of her mother who was a real beauty. As such, Kairi had been blessed by an abundance of people wanting to take the time to befriend her. Even now, dressed rather blandly with black leggings and a white pullover sweatshirt, she was turning heads.

            “I was just coming back from the store when I got the message,” Kairi explained, taking Xion’s hand and following them back to their things. “That scatterbrain called me in a tizzy, shouting about how he’d totally forgotten to change the confirmation name. He’d already had a bunch of calls from you, but he was afraid you’d yell at him.” She laughed, taking Xion’s travel bag over her shoulder.

            “Coward,” Axel said, throwing his own back pack over his shoulder and taking the handles of their luggage in his hands. “I mean, he isn’t wrong, but I’m still pissed.”

            “Figured.” Kairi laughed again, a comforting sound in this strange and unsettling city. He followed her out the front doors of the ritzy hotel, rejoining the busy, clamoring streets in an instant. He observed the impressive height of all the surrounding buildings once more, feeling even more out of place than he had inside such an expensive hotel. He found it hard to believe that anyone could walk around so carefree.

            “My car’s been impounded, so gimmie a second to call a cab,” Kairi warned, rushing out into the middle of the street—nearly giving Axel and Xion a heart attack—to be noticed by a passing taxi. Once the driver pulled to the side, Kairi helped him load the luggage into the trunk before sliding into the back seat beside Xion.

            “Impounded?” Axel parroted at length, scrutinizing Kairi from the corner of his eye. Xion looked at Kairi too, curiosity burning at brightly as Axel’s.

            “Well…I had a little…mishap?” she tried, offering her hands in surrender with the hope they would accept her answer. Which, of course, they didn’t. Kairi sighed, looking out the window before averting her eyes to the frayed hem of her hoodie. “I got into an argument with a police officer ticketing my car. It didn’t go well.”

            Axel applauded with a blank face, earning himself a rough elbow to the side. Xion just chastised her for arguing over the ticket, something that was more satisfying than seeing her lash out aggressively.

            After that, Kairi turned the conversation towards more mundane subjects. She talked to Xion about school and her friends then about her own recent experiences at her new company. She asked about Axel’s job prospects, knowing him to be in the market thanks to their mothers’ gossip. He turned down her offers to connect him with some acquaintances she knew at some local hospitals, effectively turning the conversation back to her.

            Axel didn’t like to talk. He was more content with listening, so he was much happier when Kairi launched into a lengthy retelling of her first day at her newest company. She was a salesperson for data software, using her connection with Rufus—who had his own connections at the firm—as a foot in the door. Xion was enthralled by the story, eyes focused solely on Kairi as she spoke, squished between them in the back seat of the cab.

            Axel listened, but was more preoccupied with the view outside. He watched the city roll by, the city skyscrapers slowly changing to average-sized buildings and shopping complexes. The whole place was a mess of color and people, constantly moving and interacting with everything around them. He spotted several possible locations to visit with Xion in the few short minutes they drove through, observing the twists and turns of the commercial district with obvious unease.

            Then the large complexes gradually vanished, replaced with townhouses and gated communities. A residential district, he assumed, observing the too green lawns and the too symmetrical houses. It wasn’t that Twilight Town was a dump. Radiant Garden was simply _perfect._ It was sort of eerie, in a way, seeing such similarity and predictability in the landscapes. Almost as if individuality was frowned upon.

            They eventually made a turn off the main road, entering a non-gated community of houses. They drove through the winding streets with large houses dotting the landscape.

            When they entered a cul-de-sac near the rear of the community, the car finally came to a stop in front of a boring white house. The only splashes of color were the shutters, ranging from red to green and everything in between. It was like looking at a strange rainbow; the door was such an obnoxious green that it made Axel’s cheap luggage seem appealing.

            They unloaded quickly, Kairi paying the driver before Axel had the chance to butt in and sending him on his way. She waited until the car had disappeared around the bend before bringing attention to the house.

            “Here she is! Casa de Sinclair!” Kairi announced, gesturing to the house in a grandiose fashion, waving her arms like she was presenting some coveted prize. “Well, we _all_ chip in for the rent, but I was the one who made the initial down payment,” she amended, snatching a suitcase from the pile and heading toward the door.

            “It’s such a pretty house, Aunt Kairi!” Xion said, taking her travel bag over her shoulder and a grocery bag filled with items Kairi had stopped for on the way. “I like the pink shutters!”

            “Ah, that’s Nami’s room. She’s crazy about painting, even now!” Kairi said, leading them all to the door. “It’s lucky you got here now since you’re just in time for dinner.” She nodded to the grocery bag in Xion’s hand. “Obviously I needed to stop for a few things, but it’ll be ready soon.”

            “You still live with roommates?” Axel wondered, catching the pause while watching Kairi beat on the door viciously.

            “Eh, it’s better than trying to pay off college debt and the bills. This way we’re all helping each other out until we’re square with our debts,” Kairi explained, beating on the door again when no one came to answer. “I mean, we’re two tenants short with Pence and Ollette rocking their little apartment in the uptown area.”

            Kairi slammed her hand on the door once again, the wood rattling dangerously with each smack. She seemed angry at the lack of response, but she was still speaking to them normally, which was mildly terrifying to Axel. He’d always known her to be formidable, but this was unreal.

            Or maybe it’d been so long since he’d last spent so much time with her that he was out of practice?

            At long last, the door flew back on its hinges, revealing a ticked-off blond with an obvious attitude. “Lose your key, Kairi? Or did you leave it at Don’s place?”

            “Screw you, Hayner, I had my hands full!” Kairi argued, pushing past him to toss the luggage on the floor of the spacious front foyer. “You’re just pissed because you had to answer the door instead of sitting on your lazy ass,” she sneered, sticking her tongue out as Axel and Xion nervously stepped in after her.

            “Unlike the rest of you screw offs, I have a _thesis_ to write! I’m stretched enough for time as it is without stopping every few minutes because you’re making noise!”

            “That’s what you get living with us, dumbass! Maybe you’ll think twice before getting a master’s!”

            Axel swore he could see visible sparks flying between them, and while he would have been game to watch an actual fight, Xion looked uncomfortable. So, being the responsible father he was, he cleared his throat to catch their attention. Hayner was the first to break the lethal staring match, looking from Xion to Axel with disdain.

            “Wait a second. Axel?” he asked, looking uncertainly at Axel before recognition began to light his tired brown eyes. “It’s you, right? Wow, long time no see. You look good, buddy.” He stepped forward, clasping Axel’s hand in his own and shaking it firmly. “And this is?” he asked, referring to Xion who was nervously clinging to Axel’s shirt.

            “Ah, this is my daughter, Xion,” Axel introduced, putting a hand on her shoulder and leading her forward. “Hayner is an old acquaintance of mine,” he added, speaking to Xion, gesturing at him.

            “Friend of a friend,” Hayner chimed in, crouching down and putting on a surprisingly polite smile. “Nice to meetcha, Miss Xion.” He took her hand in both of his, shaking it lightly. Xion nodded her head, opening up a little with his kind smile. “And how old are you?”

            “Nine, sir.”

            “Hayner’s fine,” Hayner said as he stood up with his hands on his hips. “Nine, huh? Excited for the double digits?” he posed, Xion’s eyes lighting instantly at the suggestion as her nervousness vanished. She immediately launched into the string of promises Axel had made to her regarding her next birthday, and Hayner and Kairi laughed at the more outlandish ones.

            Axel had to admit Hayner was fairly good with children. He wondered if he had younger siblings growing up, but he wasn’t familiar enough with him to bring it up in polite conversation. Kairi seemed pleased to watch their interactions as well, watching him with a softer expression than Axel would have expected after the intensity of the arguing before.

            It was odd.

            _“Kai? Is that you?”_

            At that moment, Axel finally noticed the sound of soft music coming from down the hallway. The gentle clanking of pots and pans stopped, the chiming of glass coming to an end as light footfalls were heard along the polished hardwood flooring.

            “Yep! I got the veggies you asked for,” Kairi announced, going to Xion and snatching the cloth tote from her shoulder. “You wanted two avocados, right? They had only three tomatoes, weirdly enough,” she continued, walking forward to meet the newcomer half way.

            “That’s fine!” The voice was soft and delicate like the steps that carried them. Axel took a few steps forward, glancing around Kairi to reveal yet another familiar face from the past. “I heard a lot of voices, did you—” She stopped and went wide-eyed when she noticed Axel. “A-Axel? Is that you?”

            “Naminé?” Axel balked, too surprised to prepare himself properly for her assault. Like Kairi, she too launched herself into Axel’s chest to crush him in a hug. The only difference between her and Kairi, however, was the actual power behind it. While Axel fully accepted that Kairi was capable of breaking him in two if she hugged him tight enough, Naminé felt like she would break before she even squeezed him.

            Soft blond hair still framed her face, but it was pulled back to keep it off her neck while she washed dishes. Her skin was as ghostly pale as it had always been, body as slender as Kairi’s—though still somehow a little smaller—and she was just as pretty. Axel remembered liking her paintings and her gentle nature the most.

            “It’s been a long time! How have you been?” she gushed, taking Axel’s appearance in with the appraising eye of an artist. “You look so much more mature! Or maybe it’s the way you’re dressed.” She laughed, and Axel cracked a smile at the kind praise.

            “Like you said, it’s been a while, Naminé. You look great,” Axel complimented, smiling happily at the light flush that covered her cheeks.

            “Oh, it’s nothing, really! Oh? And who’s this?” Naminé finally took notice of Xion, standing close to Kairi as Hayner quietly slipped down the hallway and out of sight. She moved closer to Xion, crouching before her and holding out a hand. “I’m Naminé! May I ask your name, little miss?”

            “Xion,” Xion offered, taking Naminé’s offered hand and shaking it gently. “You know my dad?”

            “Mmhmm,” Naminé hummed in response, looking over her shoulder at Axel. “We went to school together. He always voted for my paintings at art shows.” She winked, Axel blushing hotter as his greatest secret was revealed. “Are you his daughter, perhaps?” Xion nodded her head, and Naminé grinned wider as she looked between them. “You obviously take after your mother! Is she here, too?”

            Xion’s expression darkened, Naminé rearing back at the landmine she’d unwittingly stepped on. “Ah, she’s…not with us,” Axel alluded, stepping in and moving to Xion’s side and pulling her to his side. “I hope you’ll pardon her for that.” Axel attempted light-heartedness, smiling a little hollowly as Kairi scratched her cheek nervously.

            “I’m so sorry!” Naminé mumbled, covering her mouth with her hands and bowing her head in apology. “I didn’t mean to stir unpleasant memories—”

            “No harm done,” Axel promised, waving her off. “But if you feel that guilty, you can make it up to us with that delicious dinner?” he posed, Naminé and Kairi cracking smiles at the segue. “Smells like tacos, right, Xi?” Xion nodded against his side, perking up at the prospect of eating such a tasty dinner. “Avocados for homemade guacamole?”

            “A mind reader?” Naminé laughed, relaxing a little at the offered olive branch. “I’d be honored, and well,” she looked around them at their bags, “I suppose I’ll have a slew of dinners to make for you two. Will you be staying long?”

            “Long enough to get a hotel—”

            “Two week vacation!” Kairi cut in and continued before Axel could protest. “I figured they could use Pence and Ollette’s old room, right? No problem?”

            “None at all!” Naminé agreed, looking at Axel and Xion warmly. “Kai, why don’t you go cut those tomatoes while I get some help for their bags. He’s not still sleeping, is he?” she asked, already hopping up the stairs. Kairi shrugged, taking the produce she’d purchased to the kitchen and telling Axel and Xion to stay put.

            “They’re nice,” Xion said once Naminé disappeared up the stairs, turning to Axel. “I never knew you had friends outside town!” she confessed, playing with the hem of her shirt. Axel smirked, feeling a little more at ease after meeting so many familiar faces. He hadn’t known Kairi lived with _these_ friends in particular. She’d known plenty of people in high school, and it wasn’t like his aunt or Reno had ever been specific about with who she was renting with.

            This tight knit group seemed…nice; refreshing almost. It was making the trip seem a fraction less daunting. He ruffled Xion’s hair, the girl pouting in protest before giggling.

_Maybe this trip won’t be so stressful._

Axel felt hopeful for the first time all week, looking up at the sound of Naminé’s voice as she descended the stairs.

_Xion deserves my complete focus. I promised her a fun trip, and she’s damn well going to get one._

            Axel felt confident, straightening his posture in preparation to greet whoever else he would share these two weeks with. He started formulating plans. Maybe he could start asking about popular travel destinations in Radiant Garden? There were so many. Maybe they could organize a day out with everyone? Xion would love to tour the city with her aunt, and Axel wouldn’t mind getting caught up with Hayner and Naminé too. The more the merrier, as it goes.

            “I’m sorry!” Naminé’s voice carried from the top of the stairs. “It’s not like I woke you needlessly, you know! Dinner will be ready soon so don’t look so pouty!”

            “I’m not pouty, Naminé!”

            Axel felt like an icy spear plunged through his heart when he heard the familiar voice.

            “Surprise!” Naminé shouted, clapping her hands together as she threw her hands out in presentation, standing a few steps down from her companion. “Look who it is! It’s Axel Lea! Your best friend from high school, remember?”

            Axel simply gaped, breath catching in his throat at the man before him.

_Rox…as?_

He knew who he was seeing was exactly who he thought he was, but Axel just couldn’t wrap his mind around it. He’d know that fluffy, messy blond hair and expressive cerulean eyes anywhere even if he’d been blindfolded. As Axel’s eyes quickly scanned Roxas, his drab and baggy sweat shirt and pants combo didn’t hide his matured body, however, but something was still so quintessentially _Roxas._ _His_ Roxas. Reeling from the shock, he couldn’t get his mouth to open in greeting, but he was sure he wouldn’t be able to formulate a simple sentence anyway.

            “A-Axel?” Roxas turned his eyes to Axel, giving him the privilege of seeing all excitement abandon his beautiful eyes. “Who’s—” His eyes darted to Axel’s side, landing squarely on Xion almost accusingly.

            _Oh no._ “Oh, that’s Xion,” Naminé explained without missing a beat, pulling Roxas by the hand the rest of the way down the stairs.

            _Naminé, don’t say another word! Let me explain it!_

“Roxas—”

            “His daughter.”

            Axel wished the floor would crack and swallow him up just to avoid the expression of utter betrayal that crossed Roxas’s face. The way his eyebrows pulled together in concern, lips falling open in a silent question as he seemed to be processing what he just learned. Yet, as quickly as it appeared, it was gone, replaced by cold indifference.

            To Axel, each expression on Roxas’s face was like a well-timed punch to the gut. There was no chance to catch his breath, and he was left to choke on the strangled air he’d kept trapped in his throat.

            “Can you help them take their stuff upstairs? To Pence and Ollette’s old room?” Naminé pleaded, hanging unusually close off Roxas’s rigid body. When he offered a singular nod, she quickly lent closer to steal a kiss from his lips. “Thank you!”

            Axel was certain that his stomach had been punched clean through his abdomen. In fact, it may have landed in the street where it was promptly run over again and again by the passing traffic. His heart began to throb painfully.

            “Join us in the kitchen when you’re all settled!” Naminé invited, moving her eyes to Xion. “Want to help us out while your dad and his friend catch up? Kairi’s near hopeless in the kitchen!” 

            Xion looked at her father imploringly, but he couldn’t see her. Not when Roxas was standing there, just a foot away from him with _all_ the wrong ideas.

            Xion was confused by Axel’s expression, but sensing she shouldn’t be there at the moment, she took Naminé’s outstretched hand. She followed after her, casting continual glances over her shoulder until her father had disappeared from her view.

            When Axel and Roxas were alone, they said nothing.

            Roxas wouldn’t even meet his eyes, but Axel was no better. There were a thousand things he wanted to say, and a hundred different scenarios he’d once practiced in his mind. Apologies, explanations, promises. Axel had such fantastic plans of waltzing back into Roxas’s life to sweep him off his feet and make him fall in love with him again that the practicality of it all had escaped him.

            In reality, Axel couldn’t get a single word past his lips. His whole body trembled, not from excitement, but from terror. A terror that seized his heart and wouldn’t let go; he felt like it was about to be torn free of his chest. And maybe that would be better than suffering like this, because being so close yet unable to touch was unbearably painful.

            Roxas turned to the luggage, taking what he chose to carry and heading back up the stairs. He didn’t say a word to Axel, and Axel didn’t say a word in response as he grabbed the remaining luggage and followed him up the steps. They both gave in to cowardice.

            But after seeing Naminé kiss the lips he’d dreamed about for ten years, Axel was a step up: a coward with a broken heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the record, the check-in problem with the hotel here is based off an actual interaction my sister and I had. Such a stupid rule...
> 
> Well, I hope you enjoyed the second chapter and let me know what you thought! I really enjoy hearing from you! In the mean time, check out my tumblr for updates and other stupid things!
> 
> Until next time, everyone!

**Author's Note:**

> Formatting is hard on the site. *cries* I'm probably doing something wrong, so pardon anything formatting that's weird.
> 
> But more importantly: thanks for reading until the end! It means a lot that you could get so far, and I hope you plan to stick with me. 
> 
> Also, I’ve recently found myself a Tumblr page! I plan to post stuff regarding this story as well as some original content that I’ve been working on. So, if you’re interested in that and also whatever anime/video game has me in tears that week, then please follow me! The link is on my profile page. 
> 
> Thanks again, and I hope to see you next time!


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